Take Two
by Sunnykisses
Summary: Chin is asked by an old friend for help, off the record. The case, however, bears striking a resemblance to the events surrounding the kidnapping and murder of Mattie Williams. Is this just a coincidence? This case will expose secrets within the Williams family and threaten to tear ohana apart. Can Steve keep 5-0 together and solve the case? S6. No slash.
1. Distraction

**Take Two: Chapter One**

 **A/n: In this story, 5-0 comes across a case that is disturbingly similar to the events surrounding the death of Mattie Williams.**

 **My first 5-0 fic. I've watched every episode, and think the storyline of Mattie's death has been wholly underdeveloped in season six. Here's my attempt to do it justice.**

 **Slight Danny/Rachel. I'm not even bothering with Melissa, because she doesn't interest me. No slash. McDanno bromance.**

 **I've taken liberties with the Williams family as well.**

 **Please enjoy and review! :)**

* * *

It all happened as an attempt distract Kono. Chin had no idea the case would actually last, and he certainly had no idea of the true meaning behind the case. All he wanted to do was help his cousin think of anything other than her husband in prison.

He received a call in the middle of the night. Chin had spent the day with Danny, in hot pursuit of a kid caught up in a drug trafficking ring. After nearly a mile chase through the forest, Chin finally tackled the kid. Danny took him in for questioning. Needless to say, Chin was exhausted. The call was unwelcome.

"Lieutenant Kelly." Chin sat up. He did not recognize the number calling him, but the area code was Hawaiian.

"Chin?"

"Speaking." Chin rubbed the back of his neck. "Who is this?"

"Uh, hi, this is Joel Novak. Do you remember me? We went to high school together. I was a freshman when you were a senior. You may not remember me."

"I'm sorry, I don't seem to. It's been a while." Chin admitted.

"I figured. We played football together. I wasn't any good, but I was on the team."

"Okay, yeah. Great. What can I do for you?"

"I need to know if you can do me a favor, off the record. I know you're with 5-0."

"What do you mean?" Chin got out of bed. He began to walk towards his living room, where Kono was sleeping on the couch. He knew she would be there. She hadn't said anything, but he heard her car pull into his driveway a few hours ago. She didn't like to be alone. With Adam in prison, she was completely alone in their home. She had been making these appearances on Chin's couch for the past few nights. Neither said a word about it. She was usually gone by the time Chin got up.

"Can you do that for me? The police can't be involved."

"Why don't you tell me what's wrong, first, okay, Joel? I'll decide if the police need to be involved." Chin sat down on the couch and lightly shook his cousin awake. Kono stirred, sheepish. She hadn't really been sleeping. She couldn't sleep. Kono was about to apologize when Chin put a finger to his lips. He gestured towards the phone in his hand, which he put on speaker.

"Chin, I need to know." The voice on the other end sounded panicked. "He told me he would kill him if the police got involved."

"Who said that?"

"Someone kidnapped my brother." Joel said quickly. "Please. I shouldn't even be speaking to you. Can I trust you?"

Chin wanted to say no. If someone had been kidnapped, he wanted the best possible help the police could provide. When Chin looked at Kono, however, her eyes were wide. He could see she was intrigued. She nodded at Chin. Chin had not seen Kono look so intrigued since long before Adam turned himself in. Despite Chin's gut, Chin nodded back.

"Yes, you can trust me." He said. "Why don't we meet somewhere and discuss this further?"

"Can you meet me now?"

Kono nodded again. _Are you sure?_ Chin mouthed. She nodded again. _We can help,_ she mouthed back.

Chin sighed. "Give me an address."

* * *

Steve entered police headquarters early the next morning. He always arrived at the same time, before anyone else. The only time Steve wasn't the first person in the office was when Danny was trying to prove a point in his own stubborn way. Steve was looking forward to his alone time in the office, before his coworkers arrived. Despite this, however, when Steve walked onto the 5-0 Taskforce floor, Chin and Kono were already at work. There was a man Steve had never seen before in Chin's office. Kono was typing notes on her tablet as the man spoke.

Chin noticed Steve first. Steve was headed straight towards Chin's office.

"Kono." Chin nodded at his cousin. She turned around and noticed Steve. Quickly, she stood and left thee office, stopping Steve before he could enter.

"Good morning, boss." Kono nodded at Steve.

"Kono." Steve looked at her. "Kono, what's going on?"

"Just getting some work done." Kono said brightly.

"Uh-huh." Steve nodded. "Kono, we closed our case yesterday."

"Right. This is a new case."

"Oh? Do you have a file?"

"Well, no. This isn't exactly 'business as usual.'" Kono said.

"I gathered. What's going on, Kono?"

"Chin received a call last night from a man named Joel Novak. That's him, there. Do you know him? He went to high school with Chin."

Steve shook his head. "I don't know the name."

"Really? He said he played football."

Steve shook his head again. He watched as the doors to headquarters opened once more. Lou and Abby, the new detective from San Francisco, walked in. Lou immediately went to make himself a cup of coffee. Abby joined him after setting her keys down on her desk.

"His younger brother was kidnapped. The kidnapper told Joel not to involve the police."

"So he's involving 5-0." Steve didn't quite understand.

"Well, he's involving Chin. This case is off-the-record."

Steve still seemed unsure. "His younger brother was kidnapped?" He glanced at Kono. He saw a look in her eyes that he had not seem in some time. She was excited. Steve softened. "What do we need to do?"

Kono nodded. "Chin and I are speaking with him now." She almost smiled, but held herself back. She didn't know why she was so happy someone's brother was kidnapped. She was just happy for the distraction, she guessed. With her husband in jail, all she had was work. A case like this could take all of her time.

Danny entered headquarters last. He was speaking on the phone with his daughter. "I'll come get you after school, all right? Then your mom is bringing over Charlie later in the evening. Uh-huh. No, it'll be great." He was saying. "It'll be fantastic. Yes, honey, I know. Okay." Danny waved a greeting at Steve, but Steve didn't wave back. Instead, he gestured for Danny to come over.

"Have a good day at school, all right? Love you." Danny ended the conversation with his daughter, and put his phone back in his pocket. "What's up?" he looked at his partner.

"There's a man in Chin's office," Kono cut in. "His younger brother was kidnapped last night. He's being held for ransom."

Steve's eyes flicked to Danny. In all of Kono's excitement, he hadn't made the connection. Danny's little brother, Mattie, had also been held for ransom, and then brutally murdered. It had only been a few months since Danny returned from burying his brother in New Jersey. He was only slowly starting to pretend he was his old self again. He seemed to fool everyone but Steve.

Danny didn't notice Steve's gaze on him, however. His eyes remained fixed on Kono as she explained the situation. He was listening intently. Perhaps he had not made the connection yet.

Chin and Joel Novak exited Chin's office. "Here's the team, Mr. Novak."

"We already working?" Lou grumbled. He sipped the last of his coffee and joined the others outside of Chin's office.

"Thank you for taking on my case." Joel said. "I realize the circumstances are not ideal."

"What happened, Mr. Novak?" Steve asked.

"It's my younger brother, Michael. He's been kidnapped."

"How old is your brother, Mr. Novak?" Kono asked.

"He's not much younger than I am. He's an accountant, here in Honolulu. I think…I think he's gotten mixed up in the wrong crowd."

"What do you mean?"

"Uh, where to start" Joel sighed. "A few months ago I noticed he was receiving some extensive raises. And that's not to say he isn't good at his job. He is. But the money he was spending was not anywhere near practical for his salary. I'm worried he may have gotten caught up in drugs, or the mafia, or something. I don't know."

Steve looked at Danny again. Danny was still expressionless. Had he not made the connection yet? The similarities were piling up. Steve was growing concerned.

"Mr. Novak has given us enough information that we can start looking into some locations." Chin explained. "Namely, Michael's place."

"I don't live here." Joel said. "I'm at a hotel. I live in Trenton most of the year."

At this, Danny's ears perked up. "Trenton?"

"Yeah, you know it?"

"Know it?" Danny said. "I'm from Jersey, too. Detective Danny Williams."

Joel nodded and shook Danny's hand. "Nice to meet you, detective. I moved to Trenton when I got married. My wife's family is from Trenton. I haven't had a chance to see my brother in years. We live so far away, you know. I just…I hope it's not too late."

This finally seemed to get to Danny. He looked down, his polite smile fading. As if to check Steve was hearing the same thing Danny was, Danny looked at his partner. Steve was staring back at him, his shoulders tensed. Danny looked away.

"Steve?"

"Huh?" Steve glanced at Chin. "Sorry, what?"

"What should our plan of attack be?" Chin asked again.

"Right." Steve cleared his throat. "Chin and Kono, go with Joel back to the hotel. Make sure no one tries to kidnap him as well. Abby, Lou, go to Michael Novak's place of business, okay? I want an objective profile on this guy. Look into any pay raises he may have received. Danny and I will go to Michael's home. Mr. Novak, was Michael married?"

"No." Joel shook his head. "He never married."

Just like Mattie.

The team split up. Danny and Steve stayed where they were, watching the commotion. Danny had his hands in his pockets. Eventually, he tossed his car keys to Steve, who caught them easily.

"What are you thinking?" Steve asked, as the two left the office.

"About what?" Danny asked. "I'm thinking we should get to Michael's house and look for clues. You know, detective stuff."

"You know what I mean."

Danny paused, but recovered quickly. "There's nothing to worry about, babe. This is coincidence, is all. C'mon, Mattie was a stockbroker. This guy is an accountant. I mean…c'mon, it's different. Don't worry about it, huh? Let's go."

Steve followed Danny out the door, unsure.


	2. Dishes

**Take Two: Chapter Two**

* * *

Michael Novak owned a small condo in the middle of the bustling city. Steve and Danny had visited the neighborhood many times over the years. The people who lived in the condos were relatively well off. Consequently, a few had been murdered for their wealth. Either that or they had gotten into trouble themselves. Steve had taken to calling it "Condo Deadly."

"That's still not funny." Danny informed him as they got out of the car.

Steve shrugged. "It's condo funny."

"I'm ignoring that."

The partners reached the door. Steve started to knock, but noticed the door was already slightly ajar. Danny took his gun out of its holster and swallowed. Steve nodded at him.

Danny went in first, moving forward. Steve was at his heels, turning left. Quietly, they checked each of the rooms. Both knew exactly which way the other would turn, and they effectively checked the house in a matter of minutes. They met once more in the living room.

"Clear." Steve said.

"Yeah, but it's been sacked." Danny responded. "If Michael wasn't kidnapped here, someone put on a hell of a show to make us think otherwise."

"Or to get rid of any evidence." Steve put on his gloves and began to search the draws of the cabinet that held up the television. Danny checked the trash cans. In one, he found a phone. It was dead. The screen was broken. Danny put this is a bag and held it up to Steve.

"This was definitely where he was taken." Steve said. He went to the kitchen and began to check the cupboards. He was searching for any sign of where Michael could be. But there was nothing. The cupboards were empty.

"Danny." Steve said. He opened the refrigerator. No food. "Does someone actually live here?"

Danny went over and joined his partner. The pantry was empty as well. Frowning, he opened the dishwasher. There were no dishes, save for a single spoon, which awaited washing. "Huh." Danny picked up the spoon. "At least they left us with a spoon, huh?"

"No, look." Steve took the spoon and turned it around. A small flash drive was taped to the back.

"Oh, smart guys." Danny raised his eyebrows. "Clever kidnappers. You know I love when they leave clues, babe."

* * *

Later in the afternoon, after Danny and Steve continued searching Michael's condo, Danny drove Steve back to headquarters. He had to pick Grace up from school. Moreover, Charlie was going to spend the weekend with his father. This was Danny's first time hosting Charlie, and he was beyond excited. And completely nervous, although he vehemently assured Steve he had everything under control as he kicked him out of his car. He was already going to be late to the school.

Steve walked back onto 5-0's floor and found Chin in his office. Chin was filling out his daily report, a habit he had kept from his years with the Honolulu Police Department. Steve knocked twice before opening the door.

"I've got the evidence in my office." Steve said.

"Really." Chin stopped typing and watched Steve take a seat in a hair opposite Chin's desk.

"Yeah, well, we need to brief Eric on proper etiquette for off-the-record cases." Steve sighed. "I'm hoping Danny will do that tonight."

"That should be interesting." Chin sounded amused, and was about to comment further when he noticed the look in Steve's eye.

"Doesn't this remind you a bit too much about everything that went down with Danny's brother? I mean, c'mon, this is almost exactly the same."

"There are similarities, yes." Chin started cautiously. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Danny doesn't need that sort of stress. Besides, we don't have indication towards cartel involvement, Steve. This could just be a…regular kidnapping. Whatever that means. In any case, a coincidence."

Steve nodded, but was unsure. "Okay, well, your opinion is as good as any."

"Well, thanks."

"Of course." Steve flashed a cheeky grin before standing. "I'm going to stop by Danny's place tonight and make sure Eric knows what's going down. I'm not sure I trust his big mouth to stay closed yet."

"I agree." Chin said. He had gone back to typing. "Abby and Lou should be back soon. I sent Kono home."

Steve nodded. "Okay. She all right?"

"Yeah, but she didn't get much sleep last night." Chin would know. He had gotten the same amount of sleep as she did. He knew she didn't want to be treated any lesser than anyone else on the team, but she was tired, Chin could tell. She didn't argue with him.

* * *

That night, much to Danny's surprise, he was joined by his ex-wife. Despite Danny's wishes, Grace had convinced her father to let Rachel stay for dinner. Both parents were nervous about Charlie, especially with Charlie staying over with Danny for the weekend. Danny had not known how nervous Rachel was until halfway through a relatively awkward dinner Rachel announced she had gone back on her original plan to have Charlie stay the weekend.

Rachel just didn't want Charlie exposed to a new environment yet. All Charlie had known for the past few months had been her home and the hospital. She was afraid he might become sick, and she wouldn't be there with him.

Danny was silent. He didn't want to yell at her in front of Charlie, not like he used to in front of Grace. But he was upset. He had been preparing for this night for weeks. He could feel Grace's eyes on him. She was waiting for him to stick up for himself. Slowly, he cleared his throat and set down his fork.

"Rachel, can we speak in the kitchen, please?"

They didn't get the chance, for at that moment Eric burst through the door. Danny was infinitely relieved. Eric, who had been living with Danny since his move to Hawaii, often arrived home at odd hours. This was the closest to dinner he had ever come home.

Eric was still wearing his lab coat. In fact, Danny had only not seen Eric in his lab coat a few times. He wore it around the house nearly all hours. Eric's employment status was the source of all of his happiness.

"Family!" He said enthusiastically, staring in surprise at the tense table of four. There was one empty, next to Rachel. Supposedly, it was for him. Eric wouldn't know. He hadn't been home for dinner before. "Wow! There you all are. This is so good. Hi, Aunt Rach! Long time no see. Wow. You all look great. Let me take a picture, huh? C'mon, Uncle D. For grandma."

"Eric, I feel like I lose a year of my life every time you take a picture. Sit down, would ya?" Danny said, flustered. Eric took a picture anyway before sitting down at the table. He kissed Rachel on the cheek and hi-fived Rachel and Charlie. "You make this, Uncle D?" Eric gestured towards the pasta. "Of course you did. Such a chef. Such a _chef_." He served himself some food and began to eat manically.

Grace and Charlie giggled. Rachel sent Danny a sympathetic glance. Danny looked away quickly.

"Eric, where were you today? Huh? Not in the lab?"

"Uh-huh." Eric shook his head between bites of food. "I was with Dr. Bergman and Fong. Occasionally they like to give me lessons and such. Fong likes to know I'm not royally messing up his old job, you know."

"Well, when you're available, we'd like to ask you for a favor." Danny rolled his eyes.

"Okay. Shoot." Eric encouraged.

Danny cleared his throat. "A work favor."

"Ohh." Eric nodded knowingly. "My bad, Uncle D. I understand. An after dinner discussion."

"Right." Danny smiled forcefully. He then turned his fake smile to Rachel Edwards. "Rachel," he said. "Please rethink your decision."

"Daniel, I've made my decision." Rachel responded. "I'm sorry."

"Mom, that's not fair. You said you would let Charlie stay." Grace protested.

"Charlie can't stay?" Eric asked. "Oh, c'mon, Auntie Rach, Uncle D and I cleaned up the whole place yesterday in preparation! We could have had dinner off of the _floor,_ I'm telling ya. Auntie Rach, c'mon."

"Like I said, I'm not comfortable with Charlie being in a new environment."

"New environment?" Eric scoffed. "Auntie Rach…I mean, are you serious? This didn't have to be a new environment."

"Okay," Danny laughed nervously. "You done with dinner, kids? Grace, why don't you turn on the game, huh? Take your brother with you."

"Sorry, too much?" Eric asked as Grace took Charlie, and they left the table.

"Yeah, bud. Too much." Danny said.

"All right. I concede. My bad. But really, if you're so worried about Charlie, why don't you just stay over? Easy fix, am I right?"

"Oh, I don't think so-"

"Are you kidding?" Danny and Rachel protested at the same time. They both looked away from each other.

"Ooookay." Eric held up his hands in surrender. "All I'm saying is that, if it's about the environment, he's here already. It won't hurt for him to stay one night. Just one night."

"I'll think about it." Rachel said finally. "I will."

"That's all I ask." Danny said sincerely. He stood up and began to clear the dishes. Eric winked at him. He was clearly proud of himself. Eric could hear him complimenting the food again as Danny brought the empty dishes to the kitchen.

"Let me help you, Danny." Rachel said, standing up as well. Danny wished she wouldn't, but didn't have the guts to say no. He needed her to let Charlie stay the night. She brought some dishes to the kitchen as Eric joined his cousins in the living room.

"Busy day?" Rachel tried to start a conversation. Danny wasn't in the mood. He shrugged noncommittally and took a plate from her hand, washing the extra food off before putting it in his dishwasher.

"Daniel." Rachel started again. She put a hand on his forearm. "Please. I can tell something isn't right. Something more than just Charlie."

She was right, of course. Danny closed his eyes briefly, leaning against the counter. He tried to shrug, but realized Rachel would be persistent.

"It's just a case. I can't discuss it, but I…I don't know. There are a lot of similarities with Mattie. How he died."

"I'm sorry. That's tough."

Danny scoffed. Yes, it was tough. It was "tough" that his brother was dead, and that it was all his fault.

"Danny, have your sisters forgiven you, or-?"

Much to Danny's relief, this question was cut off by two successive knocks on the door. Danny knew immediately it was Steve. He put the dish in his hand in the dishwasher and walked briskly past Rachel to his door.

Indeed, Steve stood outside. He smiled at Danny. "Hey, man."

"Hey yourself." Danny could not express how happy he was to get out of Rachel's interrogation. He would have been happy to see any number of wanted criminals at the door. He opened the door to let Steve in.

Steve noticed Rachel first as he did his precursory sweep around the house from where he stood. Grace, Eric, and Charlie were watching a basketball game. Well, Eric was Grace on texting. Charlie was playing with a Barbie and a Batman action figure. Grace waved at him. Eric gave a cheeky salute.

"I can do that, Rach." Danny was saying to Rachel, as she continued to wash the dishes. "Don't worry about it."

Rachel caught Steve's eye. "Hello, Steve." She said.

"Rachel. You here to drop off the kiddos?" Steve said. Danny glanced at Rachel, hopeful.

"Um, yes." Rachel eventually said. "Daniel was kind enough to invite me to dinner. I was…I was on my way out, as it were. I'll just go fetch Charlie's things from the car." Rachel nodded to herself and walked past the men and out the door.

"I could _kiss_ you, babe." Danny instantly wheeled to face his partner. "You just saved my ass."

"Yeah? Wouldn't be the first time." Steve grinned.

"Rachel was about to take Charlie with her. Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Steve waved Danny's words aside. "Just know that you owe me." His smile faded briefly as he looked at a framed picture of Danny with his siblings on the wall. "How are you, man?"

Danny saw where Steve was looking. "I'm fine. Really," he continued when Steve didn't seem to believe him. "I'm fine. Are there similarities? Yes. Does that mean this case has anything to do with Mattie? No."

"Okay, if you're good I'm good." Steve shrugged. "Have you had a chance to talk to Eric?"

"Not yet. Fong and Max had him tied up most of the afternoon. He's probably still processing most of the ten-letter words that were said to him."

Steve laughed as he went into the living room. He kissed Grace on the top of the head and shook little Charlie's hand. "E," he said, then, glancing at Danny's nephew. "Come with us."

Eric jumped to his feet.

Danny opened the door as Rachel returned from the car. She handed Danny a small bag with a change of clothes and toiletries Charlie would need, as well as his medicine. "Now," she started, "he takes the small blue pill right before bed, but he takes _this_ one an hour before he sleeps. I would go ahead and give that to him as soon as you can, all right? And then, if he-"

"I've got it, Rach. Really." Danny reassured his ex-wife. He took the bag from her hand. He knew his son's medicinal regiment by heart. He had listened just as intently as Rachel when the nurses and doctor explained the regiment. He took mental notes, and was ready to test his knowledge. "We'll be fine."

"I know." Rachel admitted. "I know. I just…"

"You sure you don't want to stay?"

Rachel was surprised. Danny was surprised he had said it, too. "It's not ideal, I know, but-"

"No." Rachel said quickly. "No, I wouldn't want to intrude. I'll just wish the children goodnight and be on my way." She smiled at her ex-husband and went into the living room. Danny watched Grace half-heartedly hug her mother (she was still on her Danno's side, though it all). Charlie, however, ran to his mother. She scooped him up in her arms and kissed him. When she set him down, she smiled once more at Steve and Eric. Eric, as always, threw an arm around her and kissed her on the cheek.

"Easy, E." Steve rolled his eyes. Rachel pulled away from her former nephew and returned to the doorway.

"Thank you." Danny was grateful. He pulled Rachel into a hug. He kissed her on the cheek quickly.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, then. Not too late? Is your work schedule the same?"

Danny assured Rachel he would drop off Charlie the next morning. He opened the door for her and watched her get into her car and drive away. He didn't notice Steve, Grace, Eric, and Charlie staring at him.

"They sure are friendly." Grace muttered under her brother.

Steve stared at Grace, surprised. "Okay, you're rubbing off on her." He shot Eric a look before taking him by the arm and leading him into the kitchen.

"Am not." Eric protested. "Hey, Uncle D, you need any help?" Eric asked Danny, who had gone back to the dishes.

"You really want to help?" Danny asked.

"Well, no, but we've got company, so I figured I should ask. You know, be polite."

"Would you just talk to him, please?" Danny asked Steve exasperatedly. "I've got a lot to do tonight."

"Yeah, of course." Steve noticed little Charlie's bag. He was sure there were various pills inside. He felt so bad for Danny, Rachel, and Charlie. He couldn't imagine what they were going through.

"Listen, Eric. Last night we received a distress call."

"Translation: someone asked for help." Danny rolled his eyes.

"Okay, and?" Eric was confused.

"We're in the process of an off-the-books investigation. You understand what that means, right?" Steve continued.

"Yeah, of course. More fun."

Danny muttered something under his breath. Steve rubbed his temple.

"Totally kidding, guys." Eric said quickly. "C'mon. I get it. Don't tell anyone. Be quiet about it. Off the books. You need something looked at?"

"Come to headquarters tomorrow, all right?" Steve said. "We've got everything in Chin's office."

"Yeah, no problem. I love seeing where Uncle D works." Eric nodded eagerly. He glanced at the two men for a moment before speaking again. "So, I mean, can I ask?"

"What?" Steve and Danny asked at the same time.

"What's the case about?" Eric looked between Steve and Danny, who still had his back to the two. "Murder? Robbery? Assault?"

"There was a kidnapping." Steve admitted, hoping Eric would shut up.

"Ohhhh yeah." Eric nodded eagerly. "Awesome. Life in danger. Let me guess: ransom? We have to act now? Wicked. I can go right now. You want me to go right now?"

"What, to HQ?" Steve was surprised.

"Yeah, why not? Uncle D doesn't talk to me much past seven p.m., anyway."

"That's not true-" Danny turned around. "Sometimes I ask you to stop whatever it is you're doing at the moment."

"That's not talking, Uncle D. That's just telling."

"Okay." Steve interjected. "E, if you want to head down there now, that would be a huge help to us."

"Okay, but get some sleep, huh?" Danny had finished with the dishes. He put the leftover food in the refrigerator.

"There're those words of encouragement I like so much." Eric grinned at his uncle.

"Yeah, all right." Danny rolled his eyes. Eric laughed and stood. He was still wearing his lab coat, and went to grab his keys.

"You going back with him?" Danny asked as Steve went to stand next to Danny.

"I hadn't planned on it." Steve sighed. "Originally, I planned on watching the game with you and kids."

"Ah, checking on me during my first night with Charlie, huh?" Danny read between the lines.

"You know he takes the small blue pill right before bed, but the-"

"Yes, thank you, Rachel. I know what medicine my son needs." Danny joked. Steve sensed a bit of annoyance.

"Yeah, no, of course you do." Steve cleared his throat. "Listen, if you want me to go back and babysit Eric, I'd be happy to keep him on a short leash."

"Well, one of us has got to be there." Danny said. "I don't want him in HQ without a member of 5-0."

"Agreed." Steve nodded. He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms across his chest. Eric had returned to the living room and was making small talk with Charlie, who giggled. Danny and Steve watched the interaction.

"Hey, listen, man, I'm happy for you." Steve said. "You know, that Charlie's here for the night."

"It was supposed to be for the weekend." Danny leaned against the counter, too.

"Yeah, well one night is better than nothing. Besides, he's going to miss Rachel in about-"

"-twenty minutes." Danny finished. Steve scoffed. Danny was probably right.

"All right, am I driving or you?" Eric returned to the kitchen.

"I am." Steve paused. "That shouldn't be a question." Eric took the hint.


	3. The Postcard

**Take Two: Chapter Three**

* * *

The night went smoothly at the Williams house, much to Danny's pleasure. Charlie knew to take his pills. All Danny had to do was give him a glass of water, and later help him into his pajamas and put toothpaste on his son's toothbrush. Charlie kissed his father goodnight. Afterwards, Danny and Grace spoke about school, Eric's obnoxious morning routine, and cheerleading. The conversation was constantly interrupted, however, by a slew of texts from Steve McGarrett.

 _Blue pill? Pink pill? Did he brush his teeth? And what about Gracie?_

All of these texts were promptly ignored by Danny until one in the morning, when Danny finally crawled into bed himself. _All done,_ Danny typed out, _leave me alone._

Steve had had an equally productive night. Well, Eric had had a productive night, and Steve was there to listen whenever Eric eagerly "needed" to point something out to Steve. Meanwhile, despite the late hour, Steve called Kono, just to check on her. She assured her boss what seemed like the thousandth time that she didn't need to be checked on, and that she was perfectly fine. She was going to be okay. Later, Steve called Chin. Chin told Steve Joel had not received word from whoever kidnaped his brother since the initial blocked call. Joel had money he was willing to give for ransom. He just wanted his brother back.

Lastly, around three in the morning, Steve called Lou.

"If you check your goddamn email once in a blue moon you would see that I already emailed you everything you need to know about Michael Novak's work. Now can I please go back to sleep?"

"Sure, buddy." Steve said quickly, taking a mental note of Lou's grumpiness. This call would come back to bite him in the ass tomorrow morning.

Abby was awake, however, and easily filled Steve in. At this point in the night, Steve was struggling to stay awake on just his willpower.

"Geez, commander, do you always call your team in the middle of the night?" Eric asked in amazement before Abby had picked up the phone.

Steve shrugged back. "They're used to it."

"Steve." Abby greeted him easily. She knew exactly why he was calling, and cut the pretense. "Michael Novak's coworkers described him as pretty forgettable. Honestly, some had to be reminded who he was."

"That doesn't make sense, if he was receiving raises. You would think he was a star employee."

"Well, sure, but that was just Joel's theory." Abby countered. "I've been thinking about it all night. Something definitely is wrong. Chin and I are going back tomorrow, to speak to his boss."

"Good idea."

"Why wouldn't anyone notice that a coworker has been missing for days?" Abby continued before stifling a yawn. "Anyway. We'll get to the bottom of this."

"No, but you're right. Something has been…off about this case since the moment Joel Novak called Chin." Steve shook his head. He thought back to the similarities between Mattie Williams and Michael Novak before running a hand along his tired face. "I'll let you go, now. Good work. Get some sleep."

"Will do. Goodnight." Abby said.

Steve tossed his phone down on the table and took a seat next to Eric. Eric finished another Red Bull, buzzing slightly from all the energy.

"Sure you don't want one?" Eric asked when he realized Steve was glancing at him.

"For the third time, no thanks." Steve said. "How's it going?"

" _Fantastic_." Eric answered instantaneously, holding up the hard drive in his shaking fingers. "Well, except for this. This guy is pretty tough to decode. Don't worry though, Commander McGarrett, I'll get it. I've got fingerprints on everything else though. Waiting for results to come in. Should be here, soon."

"Good." Steve said. He rested his head in his hands and briefly closed his tired eyes. "Good."

* * *

8:30 a.m. Danny Williams arrived at headquarters. He had already had a full morning. Perhaps it was the relief of finally having his son with him, but Danny nearly slept past his alarm. Grace woke him up cautiously.

"Charlie's hungry." She said, when Danny rolled over to look at her. Danny nodded lethargically, running a hand through his mussed hair. The wake-up call was worth it, however, when he scooped his son into his arms and kissed him good morning.

"You think I forgot about you, huh? You think that?" Danny asked his son good-naturedly as he walked to the kitchen, Charlie resting on his hips.

"No," Charlie giggled.

The three had made pancakes. Thankfully, Grace was able to attend to Charlie while Danny hopped in the shower and got ready for work. It was Saturday, and Grace was going back to bed as soon as Danny took her brother back to their mother's home.

Charlie had been overjoyed to see Rachel. Someday, Danny hoped Charlie would feel the same way about his father. For now, Danny knew his young son would choose Stan over him. Danny had lost three years with his son. He desperately wanted to make up this time, but knew he couldn't overwhelm Charlie. Charlie was still sick, and didn't need the stress. Honestly, neither did Danny. He left Rachel's home quickly after leaving, somewhat sheepishly. He hoped he didn't feel like a kind a stranger around to his son, but there was no way of knowing. Not until Charlie grew older.

Danny looked around headquarters. Chin and Kono were in their offices. Kono was on the phone. Chin was typing on his computer. Abby was in Chin's office, reading off a notepad in her lap. Jerry was on the floor as well, his head sticking in Kono's office. He was speaking enthusiastically, no doubt about something Danny didn't want to pretend he knew.

Lou was near, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He patted Danny on the bag in greeting.

"That for Steve?" Danny nodded towards the coffee.

Lou rolled his eyes. "Uh, no. This is for me." Lou retorted. "Steve, who called me in the middle of the night, can get his damn cup of joe." He glanced at Danny after a moment of irritable reflection. "How was your night with your son?"

"Ah." So apparently Lou knew about this as well. "It went well, thank you."

"You made sure he got his medicine and all that?"

"Thank you. Yes." Danny said for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Oh, someone's already asked you that, huh?" Lou deduced with a wry smile.

"Many times." Danny poured himself a cup of coffee. "It's a comfort, really." He put a lid on his coffee. "Steve still in the lab or something?"

"Oh, you better believe it. He's been down there with Russo all night."

Danny nodded warily and headed downstairs to the lab. Sure enough, Eric and Steve were still there. Now, however, they were joined by fellow examiners who had trickled in, turned on the lights, and settled into their stations. In the corner, where the two had set up camp, Eric was barely awake. His many energy drinks had worn off, and he was holding his head up by his first, staring open-mouthed at his laptop. Steve stood next to him, expressionless. He had probably been standing for hours.

Steve heard the sound of his partner's shoes against the marble floor and glanced up, blinking. Eric didn't register the noise.

"Hey." Steve nodded at Danny as his partner stared at his exhausted nephew with raised eyebrows. Danny wordlessly handed Steve a cup of coffee. "Thanks." Steve took it gratefully.

"Don't mention it." Danny barely glanced at Steve. "How's the kid doing? You put him through boot camp or something?"

"Do you mean me?" Eric's eyes moved slowly to look up at his uncle.

"Let me guess, you ran out of energy drinks, huh?" Danny laughed at his nephew's grogginess and tousled Eric's hair.

"Yeah, those things wore off like three _hours_ ago." Eric mumbled slowly. He glanced at Danny again. "What's in the bag?"

"Ah." Danny looked at the bag somewhat sheepishly. "This is for Steve. I thought you might want to freshen up." Danny lifted the bag over his slumped nephew and handed it to the grateful Steve. "I would have brought you some clothes, Eric, but I know how you like to settle in to what you're wearing."

"It's a waste of deterngent to wash your clothes _every_ time you wear them." Eric explained. He forced himself to sit up. "You want to know what I found, Uncle D?"

"Ah, no." Danny said, to Eric's surprise. "What I _want_ , is for you to take a cab home and get eight hours of sleep. Rambo here can stay awake for days, but you, my friend, are no Steve McGarrett. Please, go. Don't wake up Grace when you get home." Danny nodded emphatically at his nephew. "Good work, okay? Good work."

"See," Eric smiled sleepily as he stood, "you do care, Uncle D." he patted his uncle on the shoulder. Danny returned the gesture awkwardly. Then, after a long stretch, Eric headed up the stairs.

"Thanks." Steve said once Danny had assumed Eric's seat. He meant about the bag.

"Yeah, well…" Danny let the joke slide. He was more interested in what Eric had discovered. "What'd you find, huh?"

Steve didn't know where to begin. "I…give me four minutes. I'll meet you upstairs."

"Please, take more than four minutes."

* * *

Later, with the team gathered and Steve freshened up, Joel Novak once again returned. He stood further away from the table, wary of the technology. He looked just as exhausted as Eric had been. Of course, he probably couldn't sleep, Danny noted. He was worried about his brother.

Steve pulled out the cracked phone first, the phone Danny had found in the trash can. "Eric was able to get the phone working again. There were no text messages, but the phone calls were all international. He also had various emails of a mildly threatening nature. Michael was definitely caught up in something. Like the night of his kidnapping he made many calls to an international number. We couldn't track the number."

"Michael didn't call me. I hadn't received any word from him at all." Joel said. "I haven't heard from Michael or whoever took him in days. I mean, except for this fucking postcard, but I don't know what the hell it could mean."

"Sorry, what?" Steve faltered. "A postcard?"

"Yeah, it came in the mail a few days ago." Joel said. "I don't know why. There was no return address, I don't know who it was from. It was clearly bought in Hawaii, too. All it said was, 'wish you were here.'"

No. This could not be happening. Danny's jaw dropped, but he quickly clamped it shut. His eyes immediately flickered to Steve. Steve was already looking at him, his eyes wide. _Wish you were here._ That was exactly what Mattie had written to Danny.

"D-do-" Danny cleared his throat. "You have it with you?"

"Yeah." Joel pulled out the postcard. "Of course. Here." He handed it to Danny.

Thankfully, it was a different postcard than the one Mattie had sent Danny. Danny looked it over before handing it to Steve. He couldn't think of anything to say. He was, simply, dumbfounded. As was Steve. Steve took the postcard wordlessly, his mouth opening as if to speak before shutting.

From further away, Chin was beginning to catch on.

"Where is this place?" Lou asked, taking the postcard from Steve's hands. He and Kono remained oblivious to the tension in the air. Kono peered at the card.

"It's the Ala Wai Canal," she answered evenly.

Steve finally spoke. "We'll check it out."

Kono and Lou seemed surprised. Joel was as well. "Why?" he asked. "It's just a postcard. It doesn't mean anything."

"You think it might be important, boss?" Kono asked.

"Trust me, Mr Novak, there's probably a good chance something is important about that canal and your brother." Danny responded. His face was grim. He looked at Steve again, this time with sincerity. Something needed to be done. Steve nodded.

"All right, listen up." Steve rubbed his hands together. "Chin, Danny, and I will check out the Ala Wai Canal, okay? Mr. Novak, if you would, stay with Kono and Abby. Lou, I want you here with Jerry. Check Michael's phone, check his flash drive. Tell me if anything happens. I want to know when we can look at what's on the flash drive."

"You got it, boss." Kono nodded. The team split up. Danny followed Steve out the door with his stomach in knots. He was sure Steve felt the same way. He hoped, for his own sake, there was nothing but water in the canal.


	4. The Canal

**Take Two: Chapter Four**

 **A/n: Thank you to all who have reviewed so far! Keep it up! :)**

* * *

Steve started Danny's car silently. In the passenger seat, Danny sat. His elbow leaned against the car window, and he rubbed his temple. Both were lost in thought.

Presently, Danny's phone chimed. A text from Grace. Apparently Eric had made it home, and after a few uncomfortable hours on the couch had dragged himself to bed. Danny smiled briefly at his daughter's obvious tone. He opened his mouth to recount the anecdote to Steve, but stopped, closing his mouth. What was there to say?

"This is getting eerie." Steve said the words for Danny as they got on the road.

Danny exhaled loudly. "It's too soon." He muttered. "It's too soon for this to be a coincidence. Right? I'm right, right?"

"You're right." Steve sighed. He was growing just as frustrated with Danny. As much as Steve enjoyed the mystery involved with his job, he hated not knowing what was happening next, and why. "Something is definitely wrong." As he braked for a red light, Steve looked over at his partner. "You okay?"

"No." Danny shook his head, scoffing slightly. "Steve," he swallowed, suddenly serious. "What if this has to do with Mattie?" It felt weird to say his brother's name. Clearing his throat, Danny attempted to also clear his mind of the slew of memories relating to his little brother, which were mostly overcome by the oil bin that still haunted Danny in his nightmares.

"I don't know." Steve answered, his voice sounding far away. He remembered the oil bin as well. "Hopefully we'll get some answers soon."

Danny had been so silent after he killed Marco Reyes. Usually he was so loud. Usually he could complain about anything in sight. But after Danny saw that oil bin, he had been silent. Silence as Danny allowed Steve to pull him away from the oil bin, the bar, and back to the helicopter Steve had rented. The only time Danny said anything was to protest. He and Steve had argued over leaving Mattie's body in Colombia. Steve knew they needed to leave quickly, before retaliation from the cartel. Danny didn't care. Steve could see in his eyes that he would not care if the cartel shot him at that very moment, as long as Danny could stay with his brother's body. Danny had screamed at Steve at one point, but Steve could see in his partner's eyes that he was already resigned. Not long after, Danny succumbed to Steve's persistence. The two left Colombia.

Sitting next to Danny now, Steve knew he was also thinking back to Colombia. He had his head in his hands, leaning forward in his seat.

"Steve," Danny said into his hands. "If there's something in the canal…"

He didn't finish his sentence. He didn't have to. Steve knew what he meant.

* * *

Chin was already in a wetsuit when Danny and Steve arrived at the canal. The two had taken longer than expected, which had given Chin a chance to think through the case. The postcard had definitely been a clear indicator of the similarities to Mattie Williams. Steve's clenched jaw and Danny's unnaturally quiet demeanor were also tell-tale signs. Typically to the partners, however, Danny and Steve weren't letting anyone else in on their secret language. But Chin had stock in the Mattie Williams case as well. He had been the one to give Danny the rest of the missing money. The money had been from Gabriel. So, the Mattie Williams murder had lasting effects on Chin as well.

Chin took Danny by the arm as soon as the partners neared him. Danny, after his conversation with Steve in his car, was somewhat of a mess. Chin checked his pulse as they walked, and noticed Danny's pulse was beating widely.

"Danny."

Danny could barely look Chin in the eyes, but forced himself to sigh deeply and listen to Chin's calming voice.

"Danny, I know what you're thinking."

"No-"

"Danny. C'mon."

Danny sighed again. "Okay. Yeah. I think the three of us are on the same page."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, okay?" Chin said, glancing at Steve, too. "From where I'm standing, this is all a strange coincidence. There's no cartel involvement, the postcard is different…what I see are similarities, not facts."

"Yeah." Danny sucked in his breath. "You're probably right. Thanks, Chin." He popped his knuckles to release the tension and forced a change of subject. "You getting in the water, babe?"

"Hell yeah." Steve accepted the spare wetsuit from Chin and adopted a joking demeanor as well. "Aren't you?"

"Uh, no. Thank you, no."

"Ah, Danny, c'mon now. Remember, this case is off-the-record. We need all the help we can get."

"Off-the-record, yet the three of us are out here in the middle of the day. Very sneaky, Steven."

"You going to help us or not, smartass?" Steve ribbed his partner.

"Hey!" Danny moved aside. "You're the one who has Kono back at HQ, okay?"

"True." Chin laughed. "Good call there, Steve."

"All right, all right. I get it." Steve held up his hands in surrender. "Chin and I are getting into the water, though. Can you call Kono and get her to take your place, or is that too strenuous, or-?"

"I can call Kono, you schmuck." Danny rolled his eyes. "Get in before I push you in."

"Just so you know, Danny, there's a spare wetsuit in my trunk."

"Thank you, Chin. I'll keep charge up here. I'll make sure to visit your street scuba shop another time, though."

* * *

With Kono joining Steve and Chin, the three spend much of the afternoon in the canal, searching underwater for some sort of clue as to the postcard's meaning. Mattie's postcard had led to briefcases full of money. If Michael Novak and Mattie Williams really were somehow related, then there should be something in the canal as well.

Danny stood on the sidewalk, one hand in his pocket and another holding the phone pressed to his ear. Lou was on the phone with him. Apparently, not long after they had left to go to the canal, Joel had become anxious. He asked to accompany Abby, Jerry, and Lou to Michael's apartment. They had wanted to check it out.

"Anyway, he's with us now. There was something in the dishwasher."

"Yeah," Danny nodded. "The flash drive. Taped to a spoon. It was all very artsy, you know. The rest of the machine was empty."

"That's where you found that thing? Jerry's looking at it now. But no, we found something else in the dishwasher." Lou clarified. "Believe it or not, a sealed envelope."

Danny frowned. No, that wasn't right. The place had been sacked. There was nothing of any importance in it. "I'm telling you, Lou," Danny shook his head again, "Steve and I checked the dishwasher. There was nothing else in it."

"And I'm telling you we found something." Lou's response was quick. "You better get that nephew of yours down here."

"Okay." Danny said after a pause. "I'll call him, Lou. Thanks." Danny hung up, perplexed and a little irritated with himself. Had he really not noticed something as unusual as an envelope in a dishwasher? He was certain he and Steve had thoroughly scanned the entire condo. They had spent all afternoon there. Perhaps, Danny thought sullenly, the connections between this case and Mattie's murder really were clouding his judgment, like Chin warned.

Danny looked out at the water once more. There was no sign of Steve, Chin, or Kono. Danny was growing a little restless. Putting his phone back in his pocket, Danny began to walk towards the canal, until his shoes at the edge of the grass. He peered into the water. He couldn't imagine why Michael Novak would pick a place like, this, if he had at all, to hide something. He would have to make sure whatever he had was sealed, or in some kind of case, or –

There. Danny saw it poking out of the water, by the edge of the canal. A small briefcase. How had he not noticed it before? Steve and Chin were on the complete other side of the canal.

Danny reached for the submerged briefcase just as a hand shot out to grab it. It was Kono. She poked her head out of the water, and took off her mask.

"They didn't notice this before?" She muttered, breathing heavily. She accepted Danny's help out of the canal, briefcase in hand. "You think this could be important?" she asked.

"I think that's a possibility, yes." Danny nodded. Kono nodded back in affirmative and touched her earpiece. "Found something," she said. Not long after, Steve and Chin's heads appeared above water. Their search had been futile, and they were glad Kono had found something.

"Good eye, cuz." Chin called as he and Steve swam back to the sidewalk.

"What is it?" Steve asked once he had removed his mask. Before he could answer, however, Lou's truck suddenly came barreling towards them. Lou parked his truck and he and Jerry stepped out. In Jerry's hand was an envelope.

"Hey, that briefcase need a key?" Lou asked.

Kono shrugged and tugged at the briefcase. It was definitely locked.

"That's what I thought." Lou nodded. "We may have what you're looking for."

"Check this out." Jerry said, opening the envelope. Danny knew this was the envelope they had found at Michael's place.

Inside the envelope was a key.


	5. Complexities

**Take Two: Chapter Five**

 **A/n: Who's excited for episode 6.15? I hope Danny and his mom discuss Mattie in depth. There definitely needs to be closure in the Williams family.**

* * *

A well-rested Eric returned to work that afternoon, eager to please. This was his first big case. Moreover, this was the first time Commander McGarrett trusted him with a secret mission, as it were. Eric was feeling really validated. He quickly took the new evidence to his spot in the lab, and returned to the 5-0 floor in record timing.

"Okay, key." Eric set the key down on the computer table. "No fingerprints. Envelope-" he set this down, too, "also free of prints. "But _this-_ " he held up the briefcase in his gloved hands. "Fingerprints. Belonging to Joel Novak."

"Joel Novak?" Danny repeated. He was standing next to Steve, his hands behind his back. "I think you mean Michael Novak, bud. The one who was kidnapped."

"No." Eric shook his head with a wry grin. "I mean Joel. Joel Novak's prints are on this briefcase."

"Okay, so maybe it's his briefcase." Chin reasoned. Steve took the briefcase from Eric and opened it. Inside was another envelope.

"Now, this was cool." Eric said, taking the envelope from Steve's hands in his excitement. "Look." He pulled a photograph out of the envelope – its only contents. It was a photograph of a city, taken from a helicopter.

Danny recognized the city immediately. "Newark." He said. His heart had leapt all the way to his mouth.

"Yeah!" Eric nodded enthusiastically, completely and utterly oblivious. "Newark! Our old stomping ground, eh, Uncle D?"

"You worked for the Newark PD before you came here, didn't you?" Lou asked Danny. Danny swallowed and nodded. He had started out with Newark PD.

"You think this could mean anything?" Erica sked.

"Well, Joel Novak did say he lived in Trenton." Kono said. "Maybe Michael's has been moved closer to Joel than he thought."

"Neat, does this mean we get to go back home?" Eric asked, looking at his uncle. "Can I come?"

Danny was silent. He looked at Steve helplessly. Steve had no idea what to say. He looked back at Danny, his jaw clenched.

"All right, you two have been speaking in some sort of goddman code since this case begun." Lou grew impatient. "Are you going to tell us what the hell is going on or should I brush up on my sign language?"

Danny sighed before shrugging resignedly. What was the point? Lou was part of the team, he was ohana. He deserved to know. "Eric, could you give us a moment?" Danny asked his nephew.

Eric's face fell. "Hold on, U-"

"I'm serious, Eric. Get out of here, would ya?"

Eric looked ready to protest further, but held back. He left the room.

"Should I step out as well?" Abby asked cautiously.

"You're part of the team now. You can stay." Danny said. He gestured for Steve to begin the tale.

"All right, listen up." Steve began. "There are far too many similarities for this to be a coincidence. The events surrounding Michael Novak's kidnapping are almost exactly what happened to Danny brother, when he was kidnapped last year."

"What do you mean?" Abby asked.

"My kid brother, Mattie." Danny cut in. "He got caught up laundering money for the Colombian cartel." He sighed. "They kidnapped him and demanded ransom. We tried-" Danny glanced at Chin, whose face was grim. "We eventually got enough money for the ransom, but it didn't matter. Uh, he was already…they had killed him by the time we showed up with the money."

"But it's all the same." Steve continued quickly, so Danny would be forced to think about something else. "The postcard leading to the briefcase, New Jersey, a younger brother in the finance world caught up in some bad business. I…I just don't think this can be coincidence. Chin, Joel could not have just called you because you're an old friend and he knew you would do him a favor. I mean, could he have?"

"I've been thinking the same thing." Chin agreed after some thought.

"So, what does this mean?" Abby asked from her spot next to Chin. "Could the cartel be attempting to contact Danny somehow? Do they want revenge?"

"Joel seems genuinely concerned about his brother." Kono said. "I don't think he's setting us up. He hasn't been able to sleep in days, and he calls Chin or me constantly."

"But he could easily be collateral." Chin countered. "Just a pawn."

"But how _do_ we know this Joel character isn't tricking us?" Lou asked skeptically. "Can anyone vouch for his character? Chin? You went to school with him."

"I didn't know him very well." Chin admitted. "We played football together, apparently, but he was a freshman when I was a senior. If we spoke at all, I don't remember it. I didn't even know he had a brother."

"You didn't know him either?" Lou asked Steve.

"No." Steve shook his head. "Or his brother."

"Hey, guys?" There was a knock on the door. Jerry popped his head in. "You asked me to look into the flashdrive?"

"Yeah, what'd you find?" Steve asked.

"Uh," Jerry stared down at the stick, contemplative. "Just…it's easier to show you then to tell you. I definitely think there are some similarities here, however."

"To what?"

"Just look." Jerry stuck the flashdrive into the side of the computer table. Instantaneously, a list of documents appeared on the screen. They were all in Spanish, and Jerry translated. "So," Jerry began, "it appears our kidnappie is definitely involved in laundering money for the Colombian cartel. The documents here are basically copies of his correspondence between an unknown cartel member and Michael Novak. I'll send these your way, Commander. But, uh, there's something else here that was pretty concerning."

"What is it?" Steve asked.

"This." Jerry singled another document in Spanish. Inserted at the top was a black-and-white photograph of Mattie Williams. The photograph had clearly been taken without Mattie's knowing it. In the photograph, he was speaking with Marco Reyes.

Danny felt like the air had been knocked out of his chest. He forced his breathing to remain even.

"Who are those men?" Abby asked curiously. "Is one of those men Michael?" She meant the white man. Mattie.

"Detective?" Jerry glanced cautiously at Danny. He didn't know how to answer the question.

"That's my brother." Danny said. "That's my brother, and the guy who killed him. Marco Reyes."

"Here." Jerry handed a folded-up piece of paper to Danny that had been in his pocket. "I thought you might want to look at it."

"What does it say?" Danny kept the paper folded.

"Basically it says Reyes had been following your brother for months before he kidnapped him, and I'm pretty sure the cartel is doing the same thing to Michael Novak."

* * *

The rest of the day was a blur. Everyone else seemed to move but Danny. He remained in his office. He left half an hour early. No one said anything.

Grace was doing her homework at the kitchen table when Danny came home. He kissed her on the top of the head, sat next to her, and didn't say a word. When Eric came home an hour later and wanted to know why he was kicked out of the meeting, Danny wasn't in the mood.

"It was a confidential matter. You know what that means, right?" Danny said, one arm around the back of Grace's chair. He was happy Grace was staying with him for another day. Her presence was calming. Ever since the reveal of Charlie as his son, Rachel had been a lot more lenient about when Grace stayed with her father. Perhaps it was her way of making up for her lying.

Danny wasn't sure how he was going to make up for his lying to Eric. In the end, they ordered a pizza. That seemed to make everyone happy.

Steve dropped by the house around nine, mostly out of worry. Danny was still sitting at the kitchen table. His shirt was unbuttoned. He had swapped the pizza for a can of beer, and was looking out the window. Grace had gone out to a movie with some friends. Eric was out as well. Danny sat alone, thinking.

"How you doing?" Steve didn't bother with a proper greeting. He simply sat down next to his partner.

Danny had heard Steve come in and was therefore not surprised when he was joined by his partner. He didn't answer Steve's question right away, however. He took his time to finish his beer. When he set down the bottle, he finally looked at his best friend.

"Steve-"

"How are you?" Steve asked again, firmly this time.

Danny scowled. "You're being a little pushy, babe."

"Don't do that. Not now." Steve retorted. "Danny, how are you?"

"Honestly? I feel like…I feel like there's a knot in my chest, and I can't do anything to unravel it." He was whispering, now.

"Wow. Poetic."

"Steve, listen to me. What if there's something more to this?" Danny was suddenly serious.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what if someone is trying to reach out to me?"

"From the cartel?"

"About Mattie." Danny sounded desperate. "Steve. I never actually saw my brother's body."

Steve sat back. "Danny."

"Okay, okay." Danny shook his head. "Okay, _yes_ , there was a body in that bin. I saw _that_ body. But it was so…I couldn't tell…maybe it wasn't my brother, yeah? Maybe he's reaching out."

"Don't do that." Steve said seriously. "Danny, don't."

"Mattie could be trying to send me a message. He could be in tr-"

"Shut up!" Steve exclaimed. "Danny! I've been down this road, man. Don't get your hopes up."

"But it's a possibility." Danny's response was immediate. He sat up. "Tell me it's a possibility. Steven. Your mother is alive. C'mon, you thought she was dead for decades."

"So?"

"So? So? Steve, c'mon, I'm not playing around, here." Danny was frustrated.

Steve sighed, cursing under his breath. He leaned forward and put his head in his hands. "I was worried about this," he muttered.

"Worried?" Danny protested. "I don't think I'm being out of line, here. Steven. I don't think this is a crazy theory."

"Well, whaddya want me to say, huh?"

"Saw it's possible!" Danny threw up his hands. "Say Mattie could be alive! Say I could be on to something!"

"Okay, okay! I agree, is that what you want to hear? It's possible. Better?"

"Better!" Danny scowled. "See, it's not so farfetched."

"But why would the cartel be after you?"

"Gee, I'm not sure. Maybe because I killed Marco Reyes?"

"Yeah, and then they threw you in prison and beat the shit out of you." Steve said. Danny looked away. He tried not to think about his time in that prison. "And we made a deal. So you're out. It's done. It's done, Danny."

"You honestly think it's that cut and dry, babe?" Danny said quietly.

"A deal's a deal." Steve protested.

"And my brother could be alive."

"Okay, then how do you explain the Novak kidnapping, then?" Steve asked. "Like Chin said, just collateral? Or what?"

Danny was silent. "I don't know."

The front door opened, then, bringing Steve and Danny out of their conversation.

"Still working, Uncle D?" Eric asked, shrugging off his jacket and waving at Steve.

"No." Danny said after a pause. "Just waiting for you and Grace."

Eric shook his head with a grin. "Aunt Liss always said you-" Eric suddenly stopped. Danny hoped his face was clear of emotion. Eric's eyes had gone wide. "Sorry." He cleared his throat. "I'll be in my room." He began to walk towards the bedroom before laughing. "I feel like you're my parents, huh? And I'm telling you-" Eric shrugged. He seemed to realize Steve and Danny weren't in the mood.

"Uncle D?" Eric took one last stab at a conversation.

"Yeah."

"This case, what's so special about it?"

"Well, it's not an official case, so we have-"

"No," Eric interrupted, shaking his head. He was thinking about how to word his next sentence. "I mean, why is it affecting you so much? Seriously, man, you're down in the dumps." Eric said. His uncle's silence encouraged him to continue. "But I spoke to Jerry when I sent him the flash drive and the phone. He said there's some connection to Colombia. Isn't that where you…I mean, Ma said…Listen, Uncle D, is there anything I should know about this case?"

"Nothing." Danny answered steadily. Steve could see Eric was trying to read his uncle's face. Eventually, however, Eric simply nodded and disappeared down the hallway. Steve watched him go.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't critique me right now." Danny said, getting up to grab a second beer.

"Yeah, I'll think about that." Steve said. "But I want to know what exactly you told your family about your brother's murder."

Danny cringed at the word, his hand halfway in the refrigerator. "You want a beer?"

"Danny."

"Why do you want know?" Danny said exasperatedly. He returned to the table, taking a drink.

"Your sister, Liss-"

"Melissa." Danny corrected. "Mattie was the only one who called her Liss. Eric just copied him. He was completely obsessed with Mattie."

"I didn't know that." Steve sat back.

Danny shrugged noncommittally. "Mattie was the youngest, you know. He was everyone's kid brother. Melissa, Stella, and I. And Stella had Eric so young, you know, she was hardly twenty, and…and Mattie just always thought of Eric as a younger brother. You know, finally he had someone who was younger than him."

"Eric's the oldest grandkid."

"Yeah." Danny nodded.

"So what did you tell them?"

"Don't use that tone, Steven. You know, it's not that easy. Unlike you, I find it difficult to tell my mother how _exactly_ her youngest child, who I was supposed to keep safe, made his way into an oil bin, chopped up into bits, huh?" Danny's face screwed up. He shouldn't have said that. He was thinking about the oil bin. Danny exhaled loudly. "Ma and Pop know, okay? They know everything. They deserved to know."

"Okay, and your sisters?"

"It's different." Danny said into the bottle.

"What? Danny, I don't understand. How is it different?" Steve grew impatient. "Listen, man, I have a sister, too. It's not like I'm completely in the dark when it comes to wanting to protect my sibling."

"No. Not like this." Danny shook his head. "Mattie was my responsibility. He came to me for help. I wasn't supposed to make another mistake."

"Another mistake?"

"Yeah, another mistake! Apart from my divorce? Apart from my line of work getting in the way of my knowing my son for the first three years of his damn life? Apart from my Charlie's illness?"

"Danny-"

"No. No! Listen to me, Steve. I'm divorced. I screwed up. Stella, she had Eric when she was a kid, but she married his father as soon as she found out, and they've been together ever since. Eric didn't even know Stella was a kid when she _had_ a kid until he learned how to subtract, you know what I mean? So Stella fixed her mistake. Melissa hasn't messed up one goddamn time in her entire life. I love her for that, I do. But that's a lot of expectation on Mattie, especially growing up. 'Look, here are your two perfect sisters, and your brother, who did pretty well for himself until his wife couldn't stand the sight of him anymore.' So when Mattie messed up, I was supposed to get him. Then I could fix my mistake. But he died. He was dead the whole time." Danny paused. "When I brought his body back, I told Stella and Liss that he was alive when I found him, but before I could get him out of Colombia, he was shot. It was easier to say that, then to say he was dead the whole time and I couldn't do a thing about it, you know. It was a hell of a lot easier to tell them he died in my arms. But it doesn't matter. Either way they wouldn't understand. Stella forgave me. She even trusts me to look after Eric, you know. That's huge. He's a pain in the ass, but it's _huge_ that he's here. But Melissa doesn't understand. Don't say anything, Steven, because you haven't met her. She expects things to be a certain way, and I let her down. I'm her big brother, and I let her down." Danny finally stopped talking. He shrugged helplessly. "So if Mattie's alive…or if he's not…I have to know. For my family's sake. I mean, Eric and everyone else just think he died in a freak accident. Grace knows more than Eric, for God's sake. What if I can fix that? Steve, what if I can fix it?"

Steve had not heard Danny speak this openly, since before Danny's brother died. Since they were stuck in the collapsed building and Danny was panic-stricken and anxious. He only knew little about Danny's family in Jersey. It was easiest to glean this information when Danny was around his family, like his mother, or when Mattie first visited.

Danny was looking at Steve for an answer. His eyebrows were raised slightly. He knew that he had said much, perhaps too much. Steve didn't know what to say.

It was then that Grace was dropped back home from the movie with her friends. Danny cleared his throat, immensely relieved.

Steve stood up. "I should let you sleep."

"Too much interrogation for one night?" Danny muttered, but he stood as well. He was focused on the front door, now, and the moment his daughter walked in. Steve could see this.

"Danny, I didn't know it was all so complex." Steve said as Grace turned the key in the door. Danny didn't even look at Steve. Danny hung back, hands in his pockets, as Steve walked towards the door.

"Steve," Danny said suddenly as Steve Grace walked in. "Don't, uh," Danny kept his gaze on Steve. "Don't mention this, okay?" He meant the conversation. He didn't want to relive it.

"Yeah." Steve agreed. He hugged Grace quickly before he left. From outside, Steve could hear Danny cheerily saying "Hey, kiddo, how was the show, huh?" as he walked away.

Once again, Danny was hiding his emotions for the sake of his family. Steve just hoped, for the sake of his friend, that the Novak case still _was_ a coincidence, and that a good night's sleep would curtail Danny's thoughts of his brother.


	6. The Hit

**Take Two: Chapter Six**

* * *

He sat in his truck for a good twenty minutes on the side of the rode, lost in thought. Steve was troubled. He thought about turning around and driving to Danny's house dozens of times. Each time his hand reached towards the gear, he changed his mind.

So, he considered driving to work. This too seemed futile. It was nearly midnight. Too late to go to work. Not too late to go to Chin's place, though. Steve nodded to himself and finally began to drive again.

Steve noticed Kono's car outside of Chin's home as Steve pulled into the driveway. There was a light on in the kitchen. Steve could see Kono sitting on the counter, speaking with her cousin. Chin had his hands on his hips.

At the sound of Steve's car pulling in, Chin looked out the window. "Good timing," he heard his cousin mutter behind him. Chin headed towards the front door.

"Steve. I was just about to call you." Chin called out after opening the door. Steve was walking towards him, keys in hand. "Everything okay?"

"Why?" Steve frowned, slowing his brisk pace. "What's going on?"

"I just got a call from Joel Novak. Apparently, when he got back to his hotel room tonight there was a letter for him. Something about an abandoned warehouse."

"What? When did he call?"

"Five minutes ago, maybe." Chin said.

"Joel seems to think his brother is being held there." Kono had appeared at the door next to her cousin. She nodded a greeting to Steve.

"You think so too?" Steve asked them.

"I think it's a lead we have to follow." Chin said. "And if Michael is there, then we're wasting time."

"I'll drive." Steve said quickly, and the three headed towards his truck. "We need to pick up Danny." He explained to them as he unlocked the truck and clambered into the driver's seat. "I was just with him. He wouldn't want to miss this."

"How is he, boss?" Kono asked.

"Uh," Steve sighed, searching for the words as he began to drive. He thought back to his conversation with his partner, specifically the wild theory about Mattie being alive. "He's pretty freaked out about the similarities. I can't blame him."

"Danny's place is on the way." Chin said, glancing at the address on his phone. "Joel wants to meet us at the warehouse, by the way."

"That's not advised." Steve shook his head. "Tell him to stay where he is."

* * *

Danny had finally been able to calm his anxiety and start to sleep when his phone rang. It was Kono. She, Chin, and Steve would be at his place in ten minutes. Danny hurriedly dressed and fixed his hair.

"Grace," he went to his daughter's room and gently tugged on her hand. "Gracie."

"Danno?" Grace had been asleep for hours now, tired after her night out.

"Hi." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear to get a better look at her eyes. They were the same color as her mother's eyes. "I've got a lead on a case, okay? Uncle Steve is going to pick me up really soon."

"But it's late." Grace protested softly.

"I know." Danny shrugged. "But I promise to be back in the morning, okay? I'll be back to take you to your mother's. I just want you to know where I am."

"Okay." Grace nodded.

"Okay." Danny repeated. "I love you."

"Love you, Danno." Grace kissed her father on the cheek as he enveloped her in a quick hug.

Danny's visit to Eric's room was less affectionate. Mostly because Eric was still awake, playing a video game on his phone in bed.

"Eric, go to sleep would ya?" Danny said.

"Oh, hey Uncle D." Eric blinked, looking up from his phone. "Why are you dressed? You headed out or something?"

"Uh huh. Keep an eye on Grace. You may be getting a call from me later, okay? About the case."

"No problemo, Uncle D."

* * *

"We got a hit at an abandoned warehouse." Kono explained as Danny squeezed in the backseat of Steve's truck. Kono's tall frame was folded up next to him, and they were shoulder to shoulder.

"I'm only going to say this once in your lifetime, but please drive faster." Danny rubbed his temples. He could already feel his heart beating wildly. He hated the backseat anyway, but especially in Steve's confined truck. He kept his eye on the door.

"All indications say Michael Novak could be in the building." Kono went on, oblivious to Steve's cautionary glance at Danny before he picked up speed.

"Joel received a phone call or something about this?" Danny asked Kono, since he was so close to her anyway. "Good to see ya," he patted her on the knee.

"Steve, is he drunk?" Kono asked.

"Hey! I'm right here." Danny protested.

"That's why we're driving him." Steve nodded.

"Buzzed. Let's settle on buzzed." Danny insisted.

"Danny," Chin pressed forward. "Joel received an anonymous letter this evening saying he should go to the warehouse tonight if he wanted to see his brother alive."

"Huh." Danny nodded. "And Joel contacted you immediately."

"Yeah. Why?"

"Oh, I don't know." Danny shrugged, which was hard to do squeezed next to Kono. "If it was me, I would've checked the place out myself first before involving you lot."

"Remember, Danny, this guy isn't a trained detective." Steve said. "He's worried about his brother. Also his own safety."

Danny shrugged again, eyebrows furrowed. Steve drove into the lot and parked the car.

"Joel said the third warehouse." Chin said as the four left the truck. Danny sucked in the fresh air and rubbed the back of his neck. He certainly hoped the warehouse wasn't as confined.

Steve nodded, instantly heading towards the third warehouse in the lot. His three team members followed him. The handle was in the middle, at the bottom of the large door. Steve tugged upwards. It was unlocked.

"Okay." Steve frowned. "Something's definitely happening here. Chin and I will open the door. Danny, Kono, split up once you enter and take the sides. Chin and I will approach the center. Deal?"

"Deal, boss." Kono nodded. She nodded at Danny as well, who pulled out his gun.

"On three." Steve said. He and Chin bent down and reached towards the handle. "One, two, three." They lifted. Danny and Kono knew the drill. As they quickly entered the warehouse, guns out and flashlights on, they made sure to stay close to the wall and keep an eye out. So far, all Danny could see were countless boxes.

Chin and Steve quietly lowered the door and approached the middle of the room. More boxes. The place seemed to be void of human life.

"Michael Novak!" Kono called out frustratingly. There was no response. "Boss?"

Steve didn't answer. He cautiously kicked one of the boxes. It was empty, and fell over easily.

"Michael Novak!" Kono called again.

Quietly, from his corner of the warehouse, Danny also called out, but with a quieter "Mattie? You here?" No one heard him.

"Michael Novak!"

"The place is empty, Kono." Steve responded. "There's no one here." He kicked another box. This one scooted to the side, uncovering a door.

"An unexpected extra room." Chin noted. "Good kick, Steve."

"Huh." Steve shrugged. "I'd say we're in the right place. Danny! Kono! With me."

When the four gathered around the door, Steve lifted the handle. "Michael Novak?" he called. The space below was dark. Danny shined his flashlight to reveal a rickety staircase and a dark room. They couldn't see the entire room.

"Okay," Steve nodded to himself. "Kono, with me."

Danny was relieved not to go into the confined space. "Good call, bud." He patted Steve on the back as the two disappeared down the stairs.

This basement, as it were, was larger than Kono and Steve thought. Steve turned around quickly, shining his flashlight on the stairwell. The stairs looked old, and had definitely been in place for quite some time.

"Michael Novak?" Kono tried again. "Mich – Boss."

Steve turned around. Kono was gesturing towards an oil bin in the middle of the dark room.

"What is this doing here?" Kono asked, oblivious to Steve's shock.

Steve couldn't answer. He instantly returned to Colombia, thinking of Marco Reyes's face as he rolled the bin out, Danny's face when he saw the bin, and finally when Steve had opened the lid of the oil bin, and nodded silently at his partner. He remembered how Danny had fought Steve to take a look in the oil bin himself, and when he finally did, he had thrown up so violently Steve was worried his heart would fall out of his mouth. So, when Steve's open mouth finally formed an answer to Kono's question, it was simply the word "Fuck."

"Boss. Boss?" Kono shined her flashlight in Steve's face. "What's the matter?"

Steve lowered his gun. He put it back in his holster and walked towards the bin. "Kono," he swallowed, "When Danny's brother was killed, Marco Reyes cut him up and put him in an oil bin just like this."

Kono gasped. Her light from her flashlight moved quickly away from the bin. "I didn't know."

"No, I mean, no one knows." Steve said. "I just…I was afraid something like this would happen."

"This case is more about Mattie than we thought." Kono approached the bin as well. She reached a hand out.

"Don't touch it." Steve warned. "There could be something inside."

"Michael Novak?"

Steve was silent. "I don't know." He admitted. "But we should be careful. It might be wired."

The door above suddenly closed on them, removing any light from the basement.

"Hey!" Steve called. "Open it back up!"

"Michael Novak!" Kono yelled again.

"Hey, Danno!" Steve yelled exasperatedly. "Open the door!"

There was no answer. Steve headed towards the stairs. "Yo! Chin! Someone!"

"Look out!" Steve heard Danny yell suddenly. Then, a gunshot, followed by a thud. Another gunshot. Kono and Steve rushed towards the staircase and pushed open the door. Steve could vaguely hear Chin yelling at he and Kono to stop before the side of the door hit the ground, and there was an explosion.


	7. Try to Breathe, Danny

**Take Two: Chapter Seven**

 **A/n: I am so flattered with your reviews. Thank you so much. What did you all think of tonight's episode? I thought it took on a bit too much. Speaking of taking on too much, let's see how the team is after that explosion.**

* * *

Lou arrived at work earlier than usual that morning. He made a point of this. Earlier that week he had challenged Danny to a friendly wager, concerning who could arrive at work earliest. The two were notoriously late. Danny had forgotten about the bet with all the commotion with the new case, however. Lou was hoping to cash in today.

Lou walked in, poured himself a cup of coffee, and walked halfway to his office before he noticed he was completely alone.

"Did they take a break without me?" he grumbled. "Goddamn McGarrett."

"Uh, Lou? Hi." Abby popped her head out of Chin's office. "I was hoping you would know where everyone is."

"I have no damn clue." Lou said. "They mention anything to you?"

"Nothing." Abby shook her head. "I've tried calling them all this morning. No answer from anyone."

"Is that right?" Lou took a sip of coffee. "Get that nephew of Danny's up here. He may have an idea."

"Good idea."

"While you do that, I'm gonna see if we still track 5-0 vehicles. We may get a location on them, if that's the case." Lou set to work.

* * *

The details were difficult for Steve to put together in the following minutes after regaining consciousness. The blast from the explosion had propelled him backwards and onto the cement floor of the warehouse basement. He remained on the floor, unconscious, for hours. At some point, Steve must have fallen asleep. When he finally awoke, his head was pounding.

The room was still dark, although Steve assumed time had passed and it must be at least morning. He was laying on his back, and he slowly craned his neck to the side, blinking.

Kono was up. She had her gun out and was staring once more at the oil bin, which had remained stationary in the middle of the room during the apparent explosion. In fact, the basement didn't seem damaged at all. Just Steve.

He rolled onto his stomach and looked up. The staircase was gone, and there was a hole where the door had once been. Steve couldn't make anything out from the floor above them.

Steve turned his neck once more just in time to see Kono kick the oil bin.

"Hey!" Steve exclaimed with a scratchy voice. He had convinced himself there was a bomb in the bin. However, the bin fell over dully once Kono kicked it. It was empty.

"Hi, boss." Kono glanced at Steve grimly. "Looks like Michael Novak wasn't in the oil bin."

"No," Steve coughed, "but look." He was pointing to the spot where the oil bin had been. Another door on the floor.

"Oh, c'mon." Kono sighed. "We're in some sort of maze."

"Kono," Steve slowly sat up. "Where are Danny and Chin?"

"I don't know." Kono shook her head. "I can't see anything above us."

Steve sensed her worry. "Bring the bin over, Kono. I'll lift you up. I'm sure they're still on the first floor. But they could be hurt. Kono-" he glanced at her exasperatedly, standing up. She was frowning. "C'mon."

"Do you think they're up there, boss, or do you think they're down there, with Michael Novak?" Kono pointed to the newly discovered door. Steve put his hands on his hips. He had no idea. They could be anywhere.

* * *

Chin and Danny awoke at practically the same time – Chin with a soft intake of breath, and Danny with a low groan.

"Chin." Danny grunted.

"Yeah, I'm here. You okay?" Chin slowly sat up. The back of his neck was sore.

When Danny did not respond as quickly as Chin would have liked, he glanced in the dark to where he assumed Danny was. Danny was laying on his back, still, his eyes squeezed shut.

"Chin," he said again. "My feet are touching the wall, Chin."

"Yeah." Chin rubbed the back of his neck. He was leaning against a wall. "It's dark in here, but yes, I think we're in some sort of closest."

"Okay." Danny whispered. "Okay. Okay. Okay."

"Danny, are you okay?" Chin asked. "Are you hurt?"

"Where's Steve, Chin?" Danny groaned. "Where's Kono?"

"I don't know." Chin shook his head. "I don't know and I'm not sure how we got here."

"Well we had to get _in_ here somehow." Danny responded with irritation. "There has to be a way _out_."

"Danny, are you hurt?" Chin was insistent.

"Oh, I'm f-f-fantastic." Danny was hyperventilating. His breath was coming out in short exhales. Chin took Danny's arm. Danny was shaking all over.

They needed to find a way out.

* * *

Eric Russo set his alarm every night before he went to sleep, but he never actually used it. Of course, it went off incessantly (an obnoxiously loud tone akin to a bullhorn) until Danny pounded on the door and yelled his name. It was Danny's irritation that usually forced Eric out of bed. This morning, however, Eric received no such call, and Eric eventually awoke to the sound of his own alarm which had been ringing for the better part of twenty minutes.

"Man, that's annoying." He muttered as he rolled off the bed and into the same outfit he had worn the night before. By the time he emerged in the kitchen, lab coat on and rubbing his face tiredly, he hardly noticed his cousin.

Grace was sitting at the kitchen table, glaring at Eric. The alarm had woken her up immediately, and she had been listening to it for as long as it had been ringing.

"Where's Danno?" She asked immediately.

"Dunno." Eric shrugged, going to the pantry and grabbing a packet of Poptarts. He stuck one in his mouth. On account of her glaring, he offered her the second Poptart, but Grace didn't move from her seat at the table.

"He didn't come home last night."

"Yeah, so?" Eric shrugged, moth full. "He's a busy dude."

"I'm worried."

"He's just doing his job, little G." Eric chewed.

"Well, you're late for _your_ job."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You're so cranky in the morning." He grabbed the car keys. "Gotta run, little G. See ya!"

* * *

Kono allowed Steve to grab her by the waist as he helped her back down the dark hole and off of the oil bin. She was frowning.

"The door to the outside is locked from the inside." She reported once she was back on the ground. "There's no way out."

"Any sign of Danny or Chin?" Steve asked hopefully.

"No."

"Shit." Steve cursed. He rubbed the back of his neck. His head was feeling better, but he was worried for his team members. He told himself to focus. "How did the place look?"

"Most of the boxes had been burned in the explosion. Some were still burning. There was nothing really to look at." Kono shrugged.

"Okay, but you said the door was locked, so Chin and Danny could still be in the building."

"Unless they somehow escaped from the time after the explosion to when we woke up. The explosive was on the door to this basement." Kono was thinking aloud. "It must have been timed. After Chin opened it…that's when the timer started. But the explosion was small enough that the effects may not have reached Chin and Danny, from where they were. Theoretically, they could have had time-"

"They wouldn't have left us." Steve shook his head.

"Well, there's one place we haven't checked yet." Kono said. She pointed her flashlight at the door on the floor. "They could be in there."

* * *

Danny fainted in the middle of a rambling speech about the New York Mets. They had long before determined there was no way out of the closet, or wherever they stuck. Chin had nearly dislocated his shoulder trying to break through the wall. After that, Chin attempted to get access on his cell phone, but there was no internet or service. There was no way to contact anyone. Chin felt even more miserable knowing Danny's claustrophobia relentless and refused to grow accustomed to the closet.

Chin had his head against the wall, trying to think and wishing he could see what was in front of him through a light bigger than a flashlight when Danny awoke with a sharp intake of breath. Danny coughed and adjusted slightly, his leg brushing against Chin's leg. For a brief moment, Danny seemed to not know where he was, but his bumping into Chin brought everything back. He was still in a very confined space. Danny's breath caught in his throat once more. He rolled onto his side and his eyes squeezed shut.

Reassuringly, Chin reached out a hand and squeezed Danny's shoulder. Danny jolted. He had forgotten Chin was next to him. He was shaking his head.

"It doesn't make sense." Danny said shakily. He began to laugh nervously, and he couldn't stop laughing for a few seconds. Chin knew nothing was funny. Danny was in shock. He was still hyperventilating.

"Try to breathe, Danny." Chin said calmly. "What doesn't make sense?"

"J-J-Joel Novak." Danny said with staggered breaths. He forced himself to sit up and lean against the wall. The movement made him dizzy. He took a moment to steady his shocked mind. "Chin, tell me about him."

Chin shrugged. "He called me in the middle of the night to tell me his little brother had been taken. He asked us to keep it off the record-"

"But he called _you_. He didn't want cops involved, but he called you." Danny started to laugh again, clutching his stomach. Danny's laughter died away slowly, when Chin realized what he thought was laughter was gulping breath. "I swear, Chin," Danny's voice was suddenly desperate, "if I don't get out of here soon I'm going to die."

"You're not going to die. Your mind's tricking you." Chin assured his team member. "Danny, keep talking about the case. What do you mean about Joel?"

"Why would he not follow up on this lead, huh? Why would he not go with us, or meet us? If he knew his brother could be here? If he was so worried about his brother to call you, but then wouldn't follow up? What does that mean, huh? Steve said 'don't come' and so Joel said 'okay, no problem?'" Danny shook his head. He wrung his hands together. "And all the similarities to Mattie. Chin. Mattie just keeps coming up. I just don't think…I don't think his calling you was an accident."

Chin sighed. He was beginning to think he had made a mistake. "You're saying this could all be some sort of trap by the Colombian cartel."

Danny's breathing was still erratic. Chin could hardly see him, but he knew Danny was suffering.

"If this is all…have we thought that this could all be a ploy? Think about it." Danny licked his dry lips. "The details are nearly all the same. Who knows, maybe Kono and Steve found Michael, in the warehouse, where we supposedly still are. Maybe I'm wrong, huh? Maybe I'm wrong and I'm just thinking all of this up because I'm going insane in this _hole_ and I can't breathe and I feel like Steve McGarett is sitting on my chest _._ " Danny laughed again, once again a mixed between a desperate attempt at humor and a breathing strategy. "B-b-but I don't think…I don't _think_ I'm wrong. Chin, think about it. A case involving the Colombian cartel that finds its way to 5-0 only months after my b-b-brother is killed by the same group, and even less than that than when you and I were taken and thrown in prisons because _I_ killed Marco Reyes."

"You think there could still be retaliation?"

"I thought it was all settled." Danny's voice was growing far away again. "J-Joel Novak…doesn't…make…sense. Chin, I think J-Joel…I think-" Danny found it more difficult to speak, and to form a clear thought. "Chin-" he started, reaching out lethargically for his teammate, but before Chin could discern what was wrong, Danny had slipped into unconsciousness once more.


	8. End of the Rope

**Take Two: Chapter Eight**

 **A/n: Sorry for the extended time between updates. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and please keep reviewing. Your reviews means so much to me.**

* * *

The second door led to another stairwell and another dark room. Steve sighed very loudly at this realization. He was pretty sick of the maze this warehouse had turned out to be.

"You realize that we're underground, right?" Steve muttered more to himself as he and Kono descended the stairs cautiously.

"Yeah, boss."

"No, I mean, this…infrastructure must have been around for a long time. A World War Two bunker, or something of the sort." Steve stopped suddenly, glancing around the place. His flashlight ran along the walls.

"Shit." Steve gripped his flashlight tighter.

"Boss?" Kono raised an eyebrow.

"Danny. If he's down here, he's probably freaking the hell out." Steve sighed. "The walls keep getting narrower."

"Yeah, but how?" Kono asked. "How can the foundation be narrower than the rest of the building?"

"We're definitely in some sort of maze." Steve noted. He circled this new room.

Kono shined her flashlight on her watch. "Boss, it's eleven in the morning."

"Shit, are you serious?" Steve scowled. They must have slept through the night after the explosion. It had been twelve hours since they went to the warehouse. "Okay." He took in a breath. "This could be good. I'm sure Lou knows where we are. Lou will get us. Now let's get Danny and Chin."

* * *

Lou Grover stared at Joel Novak, his arms crossed at his chest. "So, Mr. Novak, tell me again about the letter from your brother's captors."

Joel had his head in his hands. He was beside himself. His attempt to save his brother had ended up with the kidnapping of four members – _four_ – of Hawaii's most elite crime force. Now the remaining members were attempting to find Chin, Danny, Kono, Steve, _and_ Michael.

"Mr. Novak." Lou poked him with a pen. "It's your turn to speak."

"I-I don't know. I just asked Lt. Kelly to follow up on the letter. I guess that means my brother was really there, right? Does that mean the letter was correct? My brother's here?"

"I asked about the letter, son."

"Mr. Novak." Abby stepped forward. "Mr. Novak, may I ask you a few questions?"

I suppose." Joel said wearily.

"Mr. Novak, I have to say, I've looked through your records, and you and your brother lived very private lives after you graduated high school."

"Yes, that's true. Well, our parents divorced, and-"

"Even before then, however, it appeared that your brother completely went off the map, long before you did."

"I wouldn't say that. He went to school, he got his CPA; he did a lot."

"Yes, he was an accountant. We checked your brother's place of employment, however, and there was no indication of your brother even being employed."

"Furthermore, we haven't heard jack shit about your brother, except from you." Lou cut in.

"W-What do you mean?" Joel asked. "He's in the…the yearbook. Check the high school yearbook. He's there."

"Actually," Jerry entered the 5-0 floor, walking over to his teammates. "We've checked the yearbooks. All of them. No Michael Novak. You're not even in the yearbook."

"I don't understand." Joel whispered.

"No. No, _we_ don't understand, Mr. Novak." Abby sat down next to Joel. "Mr. Novak, please."

Joel was shaking his head again. "What do you want me to say?"

"How about where the rest of our team is? How about that Michael Novak isn't real? How about you knew the whole time and sent 5-0 into a death trap?" Lou exclaimed.

"What are you saying?"

"Mr. Novak." Lou said. "You know what we're saying."

"You've got it wrong." Joel said. "Listen to me, this is all wrong. Please. Please!"

Eric walked in, sensing he was interrupting something. He was used to interrupting something, however, and shrugged to himself before walking towards Lou and Abby. He was holding some of Michael's supposed possessions. However, when he finally reached the four, Eric seemed to realize he walked in on a tense situation. He set the findings on the table and was silent for once.

"Enlighten us." Lou was saying.

Joel shook his head, exasperated. "Okay, you think I trapped you? Fine. Fine. What do you want me to say? This was all a rouse? Fine. This was all a rouse. But _I'm_ not the one responsible, okay? Did you ever think that I'm being set up too?" Joel looked at Lou. "I'm being set up too!"

Lou's eyes were ablaze with fury. "Boy you better explain yourself right now or-"

"They chose me because I happened to know Chin from school. That much is true. Because they wanted _all_ of 5-0, not just the one that killed Marco Reyes."

"Marco who?" Eric asked. Lou shot him a look for Eric to keep his trap shut. Eric shrugged back.

"Marco Reyes." Joel was irritated and sweating. He wiped his forehead with the sleeve from his shirt. "Reyes was killed by Detective Williams because Reyes killed Williams's kid brother. And Lt. Kelly supposedly was involved, which meant the rest of 5-0 was probably involved…at least that was the thinking of the cartel. Even after Detective Williams's botched time in prison, they wanted more. Reyes was the future of the cartel. And they wanted to make sure those who went against him got what they deserved. So they got me. They got me to make up some shit story about a brother and go to 5-0. I wouldn't have ever been in this mess if your detective had kept his gun in his holster."

"Maybe Reyes shouldn't have kidnapped Danny's brother." Lou snapped. "Don't expect any sympathy from us for the death of that low-life."

"So the cartel just picked you, randomly, because you knew one guy on 5-0?" Jerry surmised skeptically.

"No." Joel answered quickly, then paused. Well, not exactly. I had done some business with them in the past. I used to be in the business. I thought I was out. I have a family, now. I'm doing this to keep them safe. Can you understand that?"

"I can understand wanting to protect your family, but now you've put four lives at risk." Lou said. "And you're going to take us to them."

"I'll take you to them if you send some of your team to my family, got it?" Joel stood.

"Fine. A deal's a deal. I'm not having you compromise us again." Lou grumbled. "Abby, why don't you and Jerry get an address from Mr. Novak here as to his family. Then I'm taking him to that damned warehouse, and you better hope we find all four of them there."

"They should be." Joel said. "There's no reason for them to be gone. The whole point was for them to just die there, trapped in the underground catacombs."

"Catacombs in a warehouse?" Jerry asked.

"Used to be a bunker." Joel answered distractedly.

"Oh, co-" Jerry stopped when he saw Lou's look. "Okay, so no Michael Noak? He's not real?"

"No." Joel put his head back in his hands. "I don't have a brother."

"You disgust me." Abby hissed. She was really angry. "You have no idea what 5-0 means to Hawaii."

"And apparently 5-0 had no idea what Marco Reyes meant to the cartel." Joel said.

"Come on, I'm sick of looking at this thug." Lou said, grabbing his car keys. "Let's get out of here, Mr. Novak. We're going to that warehouse."

"Let me write down the addresses to the hotel. My family's there." Joel said. He pulled out a small scrap of paper from his pocket. "You got a pen?" he was looking at Eric.

Eric was standing silently, more silent as he had ever been. He numbly reached for the pen in his lab coat pocket with shaking fingers and handed it to Joel. Joel noticed Eric was staring at him strangely.

"What?"

Eric cleared his throat. "You're pretty sick, you know that?"

"I'm not sick." Joel retorted. "I want to protect my wife, and my son. Don't you understand that?"

"You know what, please don't talk to him, okay?" Lou said. "His uncle is one of the ones stuck in your goddamn bunker. Hurry up."

"Okay, okay." Joel set down the pen and handed the address to Abby. "Thank you."

Lou and Joel left. Jerry went after them, hoping to get in on the action.

Abby noticed Eric was still staring numbly at the pen on the table. "Eric?" She asked cautiously. "Eric, you okay?"

Eric didn't answer right away.

"Please don't worry. We're going to bring Danny home safely."

"Oh." Eric cleared his throat again, eyebrows furrowed together. "Yeah, totally. You guys rock." His voice was lifeless. Abby had no way of knowing. He didn't have the heart to say that he had no idea his uncle, the one who had been like a brother to him, had been murdered by the drug cartel. He also had no idea his other uncle, the one who cared for him so deeply, in his own way, had killed the man responsible and was tortured in a foreign prison because of it. This uncle had not breathed a word of this struggle to Eric. Mattie had died, Danny had lied about how, and Danny had been arrested and beat. No one had bothered to tell Eric.

* * *

At two p.m., Lou and Joel raced to the warehouse lot. Lou was upset that it had taken so long to get Joel to 5-0 headquarters and to fish the truth out. Supposedly his teammates had been trapped for fourteen or fifteen hours. The thought sickened Lou.

"Help me with this door." Joel said, and he and Lou lifted the door. Smoke poured out onto the street.

"What the hell?" Lou coughed. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"From the explosion." Joel said matter-of-factly. "I was told to put that in."

Lou flipped on his flashlight and cursed very loudly, so loudly that Joel jumped. Lou glared at him.

"Don't worry!" Joel held up his hands in surrender. "They shouldn't be on this floor anyway."

"Floor?" Lou entered the warehouse, but turned around to look at Joel. "How big is this place?"

* * *

Steve and Kono were on hour two of their journey through what appeared to be some sort of catacomb. They were tired. Kono especially had to stop every so often. She hadn't been able to sleep since Adam was imprisoned, and this further lack of sleep was taking a toll on her. They were thirsty. They were hungry. They had to use the restroom. This was the least of their worries. At the top of their list of complaints was this: they were walking in circles.

"Or not." Kono shrugged. "How can we really tell? It's so dark."

And cold. If not for their sweating, they would have thought the place was very cold.

"Here." Steve said suddenly. His flashlight pointed to a switch. "Kono, here." He flipped the switch without a second thought. Flickering awake, lights turned on. The hallway was illuminated. Steve grabbed Kono's arm, bracing himself for an attack. Kono raised her weapon as well. They were on edge from being alone for so long. Someone could be waiting for them. Michael Novak could be looking for a way out as well. Or Chin or Danny.

After a few seconds of blinking and readjusting to the light, Steve lowered his weapon. They were still alone. Kono followed suit and turned to face her boss. They both looked worse for wear. Kono's face was dirty. She had bruises on her arms. Steve's neck was cut, but the bleeding had stopped some time ago.

"Boss." Kono breathed. "Lights are a good sign."

"Lights are a good sign." Steve agreed. "What do you think, should we head back towards where we came? The door may be open now."

"But Chin and Danny could still be down here."

"Unless we've been walking in circles this whole time."

"No," Kono shook her head. "No, we've been moving. I know we have."

"Danny!" Steve suddenly yelled as a final, desperate effort. "Chin!"

"Michael Novak!" Kono tried. "Chin!"

"Kono! Steve!"

Finally, a response. It was further away, but the voice was definitely Chin's. Kono straightened, her eyes widening, and she ran down a hallway towards the noise and another room. Steve was right at her heels. All the rooms looked the same, and Steve thought they had already gone in this one.

"Hey! Chin!" Kono yelled. "Cuz, where are you?"

"Is Danny with you?" Steve called.

Chin's voice was nearer. They could hear him clearly, now. "Yes, but he's unconscious. I'm not sure where we are, but I can hear you. It's dark. We can't see anything."

"Chin!" Kono yelled again, looking around for a door or any indication as to where they were. Steve came into the room, and instantly looked down. There was yet another door on the ground.

"Kono, here." Steve said, taking her by the arm and showing her the door. She instantly bent down and tugged on the handle. The door was locked.

"Chin, get Danny away from the door." Steve said. "Step back. Got it?"

"Yeah, but there's not much we can go, Steve." Chin seemed worried.

"Well, cover your face." Steve was impatient. He shot the lock. Ripping open the door, he stared down into the hole. The lights that Steve had flipped on illuminated the dark hole.

Danny was out all right, but the gunshot seemed to stir him. Chin was covering his eyes from the sudden influx of light. There was no way up, and they were too far to reach. They had been dropped into the hole and left to die. Steve realized this as he stared at Danny. He was troubled.

"Danny? Is he okay?" Steve asked.

Chin, who had adjusted to the light, nodded. "It's his claustrophobia; look at this place. He's been hyperventilating this whole time." Chin said grimly. "He finally fainted."

"What about you?" Kono asked. She was still on edge, standing and constantly checking the door to the hallway for visitors.

"I've been better, but no damage." Chin said assuredly. "You guys have a clear idea what happened?"

"We haven't really had a chance to think it through, no." Steve shook his head. "We're not sure how we got down here, or how you and Danny got down there."

"Well, Danny has a pretty solid theory." Chin responded.

"How long has he been out?" Steve asked, eyebrows furrowed. He could see the dirt on Danny's face and the cuts on his arms. Sweat adorned his face. He looked miserable in his unconscious state.

"I'm not sure how much time has passed." Chin shook his head. "Can someone contact Lou? My phone's dead."

"Boss. Footsteps." Kono said under her breath. Her shoulders squared. Steve motioned for Chin to be quiet, and he stood as well, gun raised. They prepared for Michael Novak, knowing full well it could be whoever set off the bomb back to finish the job.

It was Lou and Joel Novak. Joel had a rope in his hand. He knew exactly where Danny and Chin would be. Joel was pushed into the room by Lou, who then noticed his partners.

"Oh, for fuck's sake." Lou was unhappy at the state his teammates were in. "Are you all right? Everyone okay?"

Steve didn't say anything. He was staring at Joel, and starting to think more about what Danny could have surmised.

"We're better now that you're here." Kono lowered her gun. "Thanks for finding us."

"Don't thank me yet." Lou brought the rope over to the hole and looked down, seeing Chin and Danny. "You two okay?" He called down.

"We will be. Get us out of here, Lou." Chin said.

"Glady." Lou lowered the rope.

Chin woke up Danny. Danny seemed to be less unconscious and more forcing himself to keep his eyes shut and forget where he was.

"Please, Chin." Danny whispered. "Just kill me, huh?"

"Danny, open your eyes." Chin said. "We're getting out."

Danny did open his eyes. He blinked at the light, relieved at the illumination. When he could focus again, he saw Steve, staring down at him in concern. The two smiled at each other – well, Steve grinned and Danny couldn't help but smile back.

"There's a sight for sore eyes." Steve called down.

"My eyes are sore, schmuck, just like the rest of me. Get me out of here, please." Danny went up first. After stumbling into Steve's arms, he steadied himself, breathing in and out deeply and running a hand along his face. Then he threw up while Chin was being raised out of the hole. It wasn't the most romantic reunion between Danny and Steve. Vomiting generally didn't occur.

Still, Danny was clammy, and recovering from shock. When he spotted Joel Novak his eyes darkened, first in confusion but then in anger. "I hope I have the strength for this." He muttered.

"For what?" Steve asked.

But Danny had already staggered to his feet, and in a not-so-swift movement he slammed Joel against the wall.

"Hey!" Joel cried, looking at Lou for help. Lou simply played with the rope in his hand.

"You better start talking, you punk." Danny breathed out. Kono was surprised, but Steve was starting to catch on. "This was all set up, huh? Huh?!"

"Save your breath, Danny." Lou cut in after watching Joel squirm for a few seconds. "Joel already confessed. The whole blessed thing was a rouse." He glanced at Steve and Kono. "There is no Michael Novak. He's not real."

"No, it wasn't just a setup." Danny shook his head. "It was a distraction too, wasn't it? You needed 5-0 out of the way. For what, huh? For what?"

"No. Not me. Not for me. I'm being setup as well, okay? I just didn't realize it. Don't you realize I'm just a pawn in this game, just like you?" Joel said, struggling against Danny's strong arm. "They told me you would never figure it out, but you did. Clearly, I wasn't told everything."

Danny had not anticipated this. He flinched and shakily let go of Joel, instead glancing at Steve. Steve was staring grimly at him.

"Please tell me the sun is still out, Steve." Danny said.

"Let's find out." Steve said, taking Joel by the arm. The group followed Joel out of the maze. It was far more complicated to get back than imagined. If Kono wasn't so tired, she would try to memorize the layout.

Finally, they returned to the first room. The room Steve and Kono had gone down in before the explosion. The oil bin was still in the room, knocked over. Danny walked past it quickly, telling himself it wasn't purposeful. But it was. Goddamn it, it had to be.

Steve put a hand on his partner's weary, tense shoulder.

As they climbed on the oil bin to finally reach the original warehouse, Steve hoped for first for answers, but also time to sleep. This case was far more tiring than he could have imagined.


	9. Eric Pulled Away

Although his gut disagreed, Eric had followed Lou and Joel to the warehouse. He couldn't help it. He was worried about his uncle. He was…well, he didn't quite know what to think about his uncle Danny at the moment but he at least wanted to make sure he was okay. The rest (as in Eric processing the slew of information that had just been revealed to him) could be dealt with later.

Once Eric got to the warehouse, however, he chickened out. He didn't know what to do. As a point of fact, he had never been to an active crime scene like this before. There could be active shooters or other dangers Eric did not want to face. He also didn't want Lou to yell at him.

Eric stood outside the door. He stared at the warehouse, frozen in place. "C'mon, tough guy." He whispered to himself, rolling his shoulders. "It's not so spooky."

The pep talk didn't do much. Eric spent the next hour standing outside the warehouse, fidgeting slightly, and mostly staring at the sky above him. It would rain soon. Eric hoped Lou would find his uncle before then.

It was in the three o'clock hour when the door finally lifted. Eric, who had managed to fall asleep standing up, jerked his head up at the sound of the door being lifted with a creak.

Chin and Lou emerged first. Lou was grumbling to Chin, something about an inconvenience. Chin was nodding absenet-mindedly. He looked a little worse for wear. He had some cuts and bruises on his face and arms. Sweat soaked his shirt.

Eric craned his neck to look for the rest of the team.

An exhausted Kono and irritated Steve came out next. Steve had Lou's phone and was speaking to someone at the station.

Then, Danny escorted Joel Novak out of the warehouse.

Eric had never seen his uncle look so disheveled. Maybe after they wrestled when Eric was a kid, but that was a happy disheveled. This was a miserable disheveled. Danny had a gash on his neck. Besides that, the only other problem Eric could see was a clammy, nauseous face. Eric wondered what exactly had happened in the warehouse.

Danny spotted his nephew out of the corner of his eye, but quickly looked away. He hadn't wanted his nephew, or anyone, to see him like this. His claustrophobia had not been this intense since he was maybe twenty years old, and that had been an incident Danny had not wanted to remember.

Wordlessly, Danny handed Joel to Lou, and went over to his nephew. They were both attempting to mask their feelings, but Danny could sense his nephew's trepidation.

"Well, hey, Uncle D." Eric had his hands in his pockets casually. His voice was laced with worry. "You have a rough day?"

Honestly, Danny couldn't remember most of his time in the warehouse. He cleared his throat, shrugging. "You could say that." He smiled. "You get worried about me?"

"Um, yeah. Yeah." Eric admitted. "We all were pretty worried about you guys, for a bit, there. And, as it is, I've only got one uncle left."

Danny hadn't expected that. Eric knew how much Mattie meant to Danny, and Danny knew how much Mattie meant to Eric, but they never spoke of how much they meant to each other. It just never came up.

Danny pulled Eric into a hug. Eric leaned against his uncle. He felt his uncle's shoulders relax, but Eric was stiff. He tried to focus on the moment – his uncle was safe and sound – but the feeling that had been sitting at the pit of his stomach began to rise at this close contact. He was hugging the same uncle that was going to lie to him for the rest of Eric's life. Danny hadn't said a word about Mattie or his own time in prison.

Eric pulled away.

* * *

They all needed to clear their heads. It was winter and the sun was setting, and the team was ready to rest. Steve called Duke and had Joel detained for the night. Steve would most likely be explaining the case to Duke for much of the evening, at least as much as he could without bringing up Mattie. Chin offered to go with him, but Steve knew Chin was tired. He had been on edge for hours. The normally calm man had not been comforted by Danny's antics. In the end, Lou volunteered to go with Steve. He called Abby and Jerry and told them to give further updates to Steve, and to inform Joel's family of his arrest. Lou drove Kono and Chin back to Chin's place, first.

Eric drove Danny home, silently, in his beat-up car. The car was a family heirloom. It had gone through each of the four Williams siblings before Matte finally sold it. Sentimentally, Stella bought the car back and saved it for her son. Eric had driven the car all the way from New Jersey, taking the ferry to assure the car would go with him.

"What a dump," was all Danny said as he sunk into the passenger seat. He rested his head against the cool window and closed his eyes. Eric rolled down his own window. He knew his uncle would want the air, and to feel like he wasn't trapped. Eric wasn't sure if Danny knew Eric knew about his claustrophobia, but Eric had once heard his mother and Uncle Mattie speaking about it.

Danny's place was empty by the time the car chugged home. Danny called for Grace, but there was no answer.

"C'mon, Grace!" Danny called. Eric walked into the house, closing the door quietly behind him. His hand clamped around the car keys in his hand.

"You know where she is?" Danny asked Eric, turning around to face his nephew. Clearly, Danny was too caught up in the moment and recovering from shock to realize the change in Eric, who was still processing the information to which he had become privy.

Eric shook his head.

Danny didn't notice his nephew's odd silence. He cursed under his breath and pulled his phone out of his pocket. It was dead.

"E, can I use your phone?"

"Sure, Uncle D." Eric pulled out his phone and handed it to Danny. Danny took it with a shaking hand. Eric felt a twinge of sympathy. He looked away.

Danny knew his daughter's number by heart.

"Danno?" Eric could hear Grace's voice on the other end. He watched relief wash over his uncle's face.

"Grace?" Danny sighed.

"Danno, what happened?" Grace immediately knew something was wrong. "Danno, you said you would come home."

"I know, I know, Grace, I'm sorry. Danno got caught up…uh, are you with your mother?"

"I called Mom because you didn't come home and Eric was working. I'm sorry, Danno. I panicked."

"No, no, hey, don't worry about it. I'm glad you called Rachel. That was smart. That was smart, okay?" Danny ran a hand along the back of his neck, cringing. "Are you okay?"

"Uh-huh. I left my things in my bedroom though."

"I'll bring them over. You need them now? I'll bring them over." Danny was nodding to himself, already halfway to his daughter's room. "I'll be right there."

"Danno, are you okay?"

"Absolutely. Just a long day." Danny lied. "I'm fine. I'll see you soon, okay? I love you."


	10. Sleep

Despite Eric's confused protest, Danny set out instantly for Rachel's house, Grace's duffel bag in hand. Somewhere, the back of his mind, he understood Eric's confusion. Danny himself longed for sleep and a shower and a beer. Or food. Any sort of food. He hadn't had anything to eat since last night. On the other hand, the thought of being locked in a closet for hours was still fresh in Danny's mind, and he had no appetite whatsoever. He enjoyed the silent drive to Rachel and Stan's place.

Rachel answered the door a little distractedly. "Hello?" She asked before opening the door fully. When she saw Danny she gasped. Danny wasn't sure if she knew he was coming over, or if it was just his disheveled state that was so surprising.

"My God, Daniel," Rachel stepped forward, "This was more than a long day at work."

Danny knew his ex-wife would see right through a fake smile, so he simply nodded. There was no use in pretending. He cleared his throat, hands clutching Grace's bag. "Can I see Grace, please?"

Rachel let Danny into the entryway, but stopped him before he could go further. "Tell me what happened, first."

Danny gave her a knowing look. "I can't."

"Daniel, you're shaking." Rachel protested. "You-"

"It's probably the, uh, dehydration." Danny interrupted. Partly true, he supposed.

Rachel narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to determine the validity of this statement. In the end, she decided to go along with the ruse. "Would you care for some tea?"

"Yeah." Danny said after a moment of thought. Rachel's Earl Gray sounded perfect at the moment. She took him into the living room and gestured for him to sit down before she went into the kitchen. Luckily, she had been making some for herself already. It helped relieve stress. Rachel always became stressed when her daughter called with news about Danny and his dangerous line of work.

"Grace," Rachel called, "Your father's here."

Grace bounded down the stairs. She went into the kitchen first, noticing her suitcase but not her father.

"Living room." Rachel said, handing the mug of tea to her daughter. Grace took the mug and went into the living room.

"Danno." Grace stopped short when she saw her father. Her eyes were wide. "Danno?"

"Hi, monkey." Danny held out his arms. Grace cautiously hugged him, but Danny was clammy and he didn't smell as fresh as he had the day before. She pulled back and handed him the mug, nose turned up slightly. Danny took the mug gratefully.

"Daniel, do you have any appetite?" Rachel asked.

"Uh, no." Danny took a sip of tea. "No, I better not."

"Are you okay?" Grace whispered.

"Yeah, of course. He kissed the top of her head before leaning against the soft couch. "Just a busy day."

"Danno…" Grace didn't believe him. She was as smart as her mother. Danny looked away, his forced smile fading. He was tired. Perhaps he shouldn't have come. Sitting on the couch now, knowing his daughter was safe and he was finally out of that hole, Danny felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. He sipped his tea again, numbly, before setting it down on the coffee table.

"Grace, please take your bag to your room." Danny heard Rachel say. She sounded so far away. Everything sounded far away. As Grace left the room and went into the kitchen, Danny felt himself drifting off.

By the time Rachel went out to speak with Danny once more, he was asleep, his arms folded across his chest, as they had been, so his daughter would not see he was shaking.

* * *

When Danny awoke, it was well into the next morning. The sleep had been refreshing, but he awoke confused, hungry, dizzy, and thirsty.

After a few seconds of staring at the ceiling, Danny realized he was still at Rachel's place. He was on the couch, still, as well. A blanket had been draped over him.

Hearing voices from the kitchen, Danny lifted his head. Rachel was dressed for work and had her arms crossed at her chest. Next to her was Stan. Danny hadn't seen much of Stan since Charlie was revealed to be Danny's son and not his. Danny simply didn't know what to say. Presently, Stan looked weary. Danny noticed how his shoulders slumped invariably. Resting his head on one of those shoulders was Charlie himself. He was curled in Stan's arms.

"-All I'm saying is we don't know what sort of germs he was exposed to. Clearly he was kidnapped or something." Stan was saying. He stared at his wife, searching her eyes before sighing. "I don't want him infecting Charlie."

"All right, I understand." Rachel was complacent. "You're right."

Stan nodded. "I'm just worried. For Charlie, for you. For Grace. Danger seems to follow the man everywhere he goes. Rachel-"

"I know. I know." Rachel interrupted. "You're going to be late for work."

"Mm." Stan gently handed Charlie to Rachel. "Right." Stanley kissed the top of Rachel's head. "I'll see you tonight."

"Of course. I love you." Rachel said a little timidly. Danny hated to see her this shy. Rachel was fiery — that's what had initially drawn him to her. Now, although it was her fault, she was dancing on eggshells with Stan and Danny.

Stan touched her cheek. "I love you." He returned, leaning in. He kissed her on the lips. Their eyes were closed. When he pulled back, he kissed Charlie, and grabbed his briefcase before heading out the door.

Rachel went over to Danny on the couch, who was slowly sitting up. She still had Charlie in her arms. "Good morning, Daniel." She said.

"Have I been here the whole time?" Danny cleared his throat. His voice was out of use, and scratchy from the day before.

"Yes, Grace insisted. You were in quite a deep sleep."

"I guess." Danny sat forward and rubbed his face. "Uh, I should go. I need to get to work. What time is it?" he checked his watch. It was 8:30 a.m. He had _really_ been asleep. He had done far too much sleeping lately.

"Daniel, I'm worried." Rachel pressed. "What happened?"

"Don't worry about me." He said. He caught her look. "Really, Rach."

"Would you at least tell me if you were in danger? Or if you still are? Something clearly happened yesterday, more than just a regular investigation."

Danny groaned loudly. He didn't want to discuss the events of yesterday. He didn't want to relive the events.

Charlie stirred at the noise. He stared sleepily at Danny. "Danno," he said.

"Good morning, buddy." Danny was relieved for the change. He held out his arms and Charlie crawled into his lap to hug him.

"Danno, you smell." Charlie giggled.

"All right, point taken." Danny said, kissing Charlie on the top of the head and standing. "I should go. If Charlie says I stink, I stink."

"I would still like to know." Rachael stood as well. "I think I deserve to know, since our daughter was left alone for hours without any explanation."

"Rachel, please." Danny fished his keys out of his pockets. "I don't have to explain my job to you." He also didn't have to explain keeping a few secrets to Rachel, who had kept a pretty damn big secret from Danny. But he saw the look on her face, and reconsidered. He glanced at Charlie on the couch before taking Rachel by the arm and leading her into the hall.

"There was an investigation. I'm not sure where it stands, now, but the gist of it is that the case was exactly like with Mattie, and how he was killed."

"Oh."

"We thought we made a breakthrough yesterday. But it was a setup. Chin Ho Kelly and I were trapped in some…" Danny grimaced, " _hole_ for the better part of the day, and you know how I am about closed spaces…and then finally we got out and I went straight here to check on Grace and now I'd really like to take a shower and get some food and…"

"All right, all right." Rachel pulled Danny into a hug. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry you're going through this. You don't need another reminder of your brother's death."

Danny sighed and put his arms around his ex-wife. He closed his eyes. He forgot about her hugs, and how they made him feel. He felt like he could finally breathe. His shoulders dropped.

"I was so stupid." Danny admitted with a soft whine. He hoped he wouldn't hear. "I was so stupid."

"What do you mean?"

"I really thought he might be alive." Danny shook his head. "I actually thought my brother was trying to send a message to me."

"What were you to think?" Rachel pulled back. "Please don't feel stupid. You're an incredibly intelligent man, Daniel."

Danny was frowning. Clearly he didn't believe her. "I need to get going, so, uh, thank you, for housing me, and…and tell Grace I hope she had a great last day of school before break, yeah?"

"Yes, of course."

"Okay. I'm leaving with my dignity." Danny tried to joke. He swallowed the lump in his throat, but found it hard to keep a fake smile going, so he just left.


	11. A New Day

**Take Two: Chapter Eleven**

* * *

 **A/n: Thank you for your continued reviews.**

* * *

Steve managed to get some sleep after a very long night. The sleep, especially in his own bed, had been much needed. He had spent the rest of the day speaking with Duke as carefully as he could about the case. The rest of the team had gone to their respective homes, except Lou, who had been away from the warehouse in the first place, and wasn't exhausted. Duke knew something wasn't being said, but he couldn't determine what exactly, and wasn't going to push Steve. He knew better than to interfere with 5-0.

Afterwards, Lou offered to take Steve to dinner to speak about the case further, but Steve declined. He instead went to Abby and Jerry and switched them out with cops, so they could relax. Now, cops were looking after Joel's family, and Joel was in custody. Finally, Steve drove home and took a quick shower and went to bed.

He woke up later than expected. Perhaps that should have been expected.

Now, sitting in a diner and watching Danny eat, Steve was still troubled about yesterday's mishap.

Danny was oblivious. He had gone home to shower, shave, and change after spending the afternoon and night asleep on Rachel's couch, and by the time he met Steve, he was feeling quite like himself again. His face had regained color and he no longer trembled. He had taken a seat across from Steve, and Steve had caught a whiff of soap and mouthwash. The two sat silently as Danny ate. Steve was sipping coffee, and staring at him, lost in thought.

"So, what was it like?" Steve asked suddenly.

Danny rolled his eyes. He swallowed. "Babe, you have to use specifics."

"Being in that hole for that long? With your claustrophobia, I mean. At some point you must have felt just _numb_ , right?"

Danny didn't answer. He was infuriated by the question. Steve didn't register this, and asked again.

"I don't want to talk about it!" Danny threw up his hands. "It's not a cheery subject, okay? What's the matter with you?"

"What! I'm just trying to understand, Danny, c'mon."

"Well, what, you want me to spell it out for you?"

"Sort of! I mean, okay, for example, this place."

"What about this place?"

"It's a confined space, is it not?"

Danny didn't know how to respond to Steve's ignorance. He scoffed. "No."

"What do you mean 'no'?"

Danny explained the place had windows and doors, and being able to see outside was very important for Danny. That's why he wasn't afraid in cars, because the door was close and he could always see out. Unlike elevators, which were one of his worst nightmares.

"Oh, right, I remember." Steve nodded. "Okay, but how do-"

"Hey look, it's our old pal, Chin." Danny interrupted, happy to end this intrepid conversation. He waved Chin over to them. Danny was relieved to see Chin, but also a little sheepish. This was his first time seeing Chin since their not-so-happy time in the hole.

Chin could sense Danny's embarrassment. "Hi, Steve." He sat down in the booth next to McGarrett. "Danny," he leaned forward. "Don't worry about yesterday."

"Yeah?" Danny laughed nervously.

"Yeah. I understand. I'm not here to judge." Chin crossed his arms against his chest. When the waiter came by, Chin ordered a cup of coffee. Danny looked down, grateful.

"So, Chin, why did you want to see us?" Steve asked, reaching across the table and taking a slice of bacon from Danny's plate. Danny attempted to slap Steve's hand away, but Steve was too fast. Danny and Steve were heading to work soon, but Chin had texted them to see if he could meet them early.

"Just thinking about something." Chin shrugged. "When the four of us were at the warehouse, Abby and Jerry were with Joel's family. Then Lou and Joel went to find us. Headquarters was practically empty."

"No," Steve shook his head. "What about Eric? Eric was still there."

"Actually, uh, Eric came to see me." Danny admitted.

"Right." Chin sucked in his breath. "That's the problem. When Eric left to come find you, Kono and I don't think he locked our floor. After you went home and Steve went with Duke to take Joel to jail, Kono and I went back to headquarters and-"

"Okay, wait." Danny protested. "I get it. Eric doesn't have a lot going on where his brain is supposed to be. But he knows how important his job is, and he sure as hell just wouldn't leave all of our evidence out in the open. He has some focus."

"What happened, Chin?" Steve asked, sensing there were things Chin had yet to say.

"The flashdrive's gone." Chin said. "And someone wiped the table of the documents from the flashdrive."

"Are you kidding me?" Steve was dumbfounded. "What about the security cameras? What about the identity verification?"

"By all accounts, Eric forgot to turn the security system on when he left."

"Stop, Chin. I love you, man, but you're not making sense. Eric wouldn't do that."

"He may have been a little distracted." Chin responded. "I spoke to Lou, and he said right before they left, Joel recounted in some detail how your brother died, how you killed Reyes, and your stint in the Colombian prison."

Danny's eyes grew wide. He and Steve exchanged a wary glance.

Chin looked at the two. "But Eric already knew all this, right? You told him what happened?"

When Danny didn't say anything, Steve stepped up. "No, Chin, he didn't. Eric was told a completely different story."

Danny banged his fist on the table. His glass of water nearly spilled. "Son of a _bitch_."

"What, Danny?" Steve was angry, too. "What did you expect, huh? You thought Eric would never learn the truth?"

"Steven, I swear-" Danny snapped.

Chin was curious. "What did you tell Eric?"

"Why does it matter?" Danny blew up at Chin. "Why does every last person want to know every little thing I do, huh? This guy-" Danny gestures towards Steve "-wants to know just _exactly_ how my claustrophobia feels, you want to know the details about a private family matter, Rachel wants to know why my daughter was left alone for hours-"

"You spoke to Rachel?" Steve asked. "What did she want?"

Danny took in Steve's accusatory tone, remembering how comforting Rachel's words had been. His eyes narrowed. "She was just being a good mother, Steve, okay? Besides, for the last time, it's none of your goddamned business."

"This whole case has been about your goddamned business, Danny." Steve retorted. "Okay? Listen to me. This whole case, no matter how set up it has turned out to be, is about _you._ It's about you, it's about Mattie, it's about the cartel. We haven't made all the connections yet, but until we do, your business is our business. And besides, your business was my business anyway, since I got you shot."

"Oh, you mean on the first day we met?" Danny muttered. He had settled down. He sighed loudly. "Okay." He shook his head. "Fine. I'm sorry." He glanced first at Steve, and then at Chin, who had his arms crossed across his chest.

"I understand." Chin nodded evenly. "But for the record, Danny, I do hold some interest in your brother's murder. I was the one who provided the money for his ransom, okay?"

"I know. I'm sorry, you know how much that meant to me…I can't put into words how much that meant to me." Danny said. "I…if you want to know, I, uh, I told my parents the truth. They know. But my siblings, and the kids, my nieces and nephews, they don't know. They think, uh, they think I saved him. I saved Mattie, in Colombia. But before we could get on the plane, he was shot. And I held him in my arms. And he died, and there was nothing I could do. It just, uh, sounds a little bit more like I tried, more than I did. And no one, _no one_ , knew about prison."

Chin rubbed a hand along his chin. He was troubled by this. What an elaborate lie. He glanced at Steve, but Steve was silent. So, he already knew this. Chin wondered how long it was before Danny confessed the lie to Steve.

"Have you spoken to Eric about this?"

"No, no, I haven't seen him." Danny shook his head and let out a weary breath. "I…he took me home yesterday, but then I went to see Grace, to make sure she knew I was okay, you know, and, uh, when I got back today Eric was already at work."

Steve looked up. Danny had spent the night at Rachel's place? Before he could ask, Chin cut in.

"No, Eric's not at work."

"What?" Danny frowned. "No, my place was empty when I got there—Steven, it's not what you think."

Steve held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Eric took a personal day."

Danny was dumbfounded. He looked down.

"Okay, to summarize, what you're saying is-" Steve started.

"The doors to HQ were open, someone came in, after removing the security cameras, wiped our table of all files on the cartel, and took the flashdrive." Chin said. "Kono's there now, with Abby and Lou."

"Danny, pay for the meal. Make sure to leave a big tip for all your yelling this morning. Let's go."

* * *

Duke led someone down to the jail in the police station. The usual belligerent drunkards were still sleeping off their night, but one prisoner was awake.

"I'll give you thirty minutes, but then you have to leave." Duke said to Eric. Eric was silent. He nodded at Duke before looking at Joel. Joel was staring at the ceiling, but craned his neck when he heard the footfall of Eric and Duke.

"You work for 5-0, don't you?" Joel said, sitting up. "I remember you."

"Yeah, I'm going to need you to shut up for a sec, okay?" Eric did not acknowledge the question. "I want you to tell me again what exactly happened before, during, and after Matthew Williams's murder in Colombia. Got that?"


	12. Childhood

**Take Two: Chapter Twelve**

* * *

Kono was upset. She stood in the middle of headquarters and frowned. She was upset that the table had been wiped. She was upset that she had been in a hole for nearly a day, putting the team off of their investigation. Most of all, she was upset that when she finally found and was able to go home and rest, she couldn't speak to her husband and tell him her fears, curiosities, and experiences. She was alone, as alone as she had been when Steve was still unconscious in the hole and all she had were her thoughts.

Lou was in his regular bedraggled mood, but he could sense Kono's anger as well. This encouraged him to complain about the weather, and for once, Kono agreed with him. Abby, for her part, was trying to balance them both. She desperately waited for the calming presence of Chin.

Chin, however, was flanked by Steve and Danny. When he finally arrived, their collective moods did nothing to assuage the rain cloud over Kono.

Kono looked at Danny, who scowled in commiseration at the wiped table. Kono scowled back. He sat next to her. She rested her head in her hands and frowned. Danny joined her, unknowingly mimicking her actions. Chin stared at the two before glancing at Abby. She offered a smile.

Steve, for his part, went into his office and grabbed his tablet. As he left his office, he noticed the door to Danny's office was slightly ajar. He poked his head in.

"Uh, Danny?"

" _What?"_ Danny grumbled. When Steve didn't respond, he lifted his head out of hands and looked at his office. Slowly, he stood up.

His office had been trashed. There were papers strewn everywhere on his desk.

"What the hell?" Kono stood up as well. "Boss, what-?" She had been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't noticed the mess. Had she really been so blind?

A picture of Grace and Charlie had been thrown on the ground, the frame cracked. Danny stepped into his office and picked up the picture. Steve went around to the desk and began opening the drawers.

"Where do you keep your files?" Steve asked. Danny didn't answer. "Danny."

"The top left drawer." He mumbled. He cursed under his breath, looking up at his partner. "Steve."

"I know." Steve answered quickly. The drawer was unlocked, which was not a good sign. Some files had remained untouched, but Steve knew exactly what file was missing: Danny's statement to the detectives on the murder of Marco Reyes. The same detectives who had allowed him to be arrested and thrown in the Colombian prison, where prisoners beat the shit out of him. Just thinking about what Danny went through angered Steve so much that he kicked the drawer closed and cursed loudly. "Danny, it's gone."

"What is?" Abby was at the door, peering in. She had been too focused on Kono and Lou's misery to notice the shape of Danny's office. Now, she stared with wide eyes. Kono joined her. Danny was still holding the cracked picture of his children.

"Steven, close the door." Danny said quietly.

"No." Kono persisted. "Tell me what's going on. We're a team."

Steve was silent. Kono made a good point. He looked at Danny. Danny knew this too. He closed his eyes and nodded.

"Fine," Danny sighed. "You should know. You deserve to know."

* * *

When Eric walked into headquarters that afternoon, the group was all huddled in Steve's office. Eric wasn't sure how they all fit in there. Clearly, something was going on. Eric noticed Danny's office, adjacent to Steve's; it was a mess. He couldn't think of why his uncle would trash his office.

From Steve's office, the tall Lou noticed Eric, looking over his coworkers and glancing at Danny's nephew. Eric watched Lou bend down and whisper something in Danny's ear. Eric couldn't see his uncle, for Chin and Kono were blocking the view. He wondered if Danny had been told that Eric knew about Mattie and the Colombian prison. Eric didn't want to take any chances. So, despite his gut screaming at him to tell the truth, Eric put on a dopey smile and knocked on the door. Abby, who was closest, let Eric in.

"Heya guys, am I interrupting anything?" Eric asked brightly.

"Hi, E." Steve said cautiously.

"Boss, I know I cashed in on one of my personal days, but I was wondering if I could speak to you?"

"Uh, sure, E, but you actually are interrupting something." Steve said. "We're almost done."

"I won't take long."

"Neither will we." Steve tried to remain polite. He stood next to Danny, and could feel how tense Danny was. Subtly, Steve put a hand on the back of Danny's arm.

"Oh, I get that, and that's cool and all, but this is pretty important." Eric persisted with the same fake grin.

"Okay, what is it?" Steve asked with a slight sigh.

"Uh, privately?" Eric asked.

"Yeah. Okay." Steve sucked in his breath and let go of Danny's arm. He headed out the door.

"By the way, I hope you're feeling better, Uncle D." Eric called cheerily before he left the room.

Steve stood outside his office with his armed crossed against his chest. "What's up, Eric?"

Eric's smile faded so suddenly and forcefully that Steve was surprised. Eric looked utterly miserable.

"I spoke to Joel this morning."

"You went to the jail?" Steve frowned.

"Yeah, well, when you hear some funky shit about your uncles you tend to want some clarification." Eric muttered.

"E-"

"Besides everything I thought I knew being a big old lie, I thought you should know that there were some definite cartel members here yesterday, and they sacked Uncle D's office, took the flashdrive, and wiped the table."

"Joel told you this?"

"Yeah. And he said that there were some more coming today, and they're going to kill you. But, I figured, as a Navy SEAL and all, you wouldn't be too worried about that." Eric said this casually, with a slight shrug.

"Eric, cut it out. What exactly are you saying?"

"I spoke to Joel Novak. Joel Novak told me the deets so he wouldn't have to go to jail. Now everything's out in the open. So, I think I've done my job for the day, and-"

"Get the hell in my office." Steve snapped. Eric clamped his jaw shut and did as he was told. He took a seat in the unoccupied chair and rested his chin on his hands.

Steve walked in and explained the situation. Eric added certain bits of information. Joel was free, and the cartel was coming very soon to take 5-0 in for harboring a fugitive, the fugitive being Danny. They had taken the file in which Danny had confessed to murder, the only record of it left, after the case had been wiped from the records on Steve's behest – reparations for throwing Danny into the Colombian lion's den.

The Colombians didn't really have a case. They couldn't throw Danny in prison for Marco Reyes's murder; the case had already been thrown out.

"Or, they don't want to imprison him at all. Maybe they just want to kill him, you know." The flippantness in which Eric said this concerned Danny. He finally allowed himself to look at his nephew. Eric was already looking at him. His face was stony.

"That's not going to happen." Steve retorted. Eric was definitely acting strange. "Team, listen up." Steve pushed aside his curiosity over Eric for a moment and turned to 5-0. He has the team break up. The cops should be called and should surround the building, to keep on the lookout for anyone suspicious. Steve and Lou would go speak to Joel. Danny and Abby would stay here. Kono and Chin would go with the cops.

The office soon emptied, all except for Danny and Eric. Eric was still sitting in the chair. Danny was leaning against the wall.

"Well, hey there, Uncle D." Eric said with a fake cheeriness. He was still pretending.

"I know you know." Danny said quietly. "Eric, Chin told me you know."

Eric's smile faded. Danny saw, too, how hurt his nephew was. "Eric-"

"I don't really want to talk about how absolutely fucking furious I am with you yet."

"Eric-" Danny grew frustrated. "Listen to me-"

"No." Eric sat up. "No! I trusted you."

Danny was silent.

"What?" Eric scoffed. "Nothing?" He shook his head. "You should have heard Ma, when I told her. You know, your sister? She was pretty upset, you know. Or do you care?"

"I deserve this. I get it."

"Yeah! Yeah, you do." Eric said. "I thought we were family."

"We are. We are, which is exactly why…Eric, listen, you're a kid-"

"I'm not!" Eric laughed through his anger. "I'm not a fucking kid! I was a kid when I was with Mattie, and we would play hide and seek because you couldn't hide for very long. Because you were too busy playing baseball with the other kids, or getting us in trouble. I'm not a kid. I'm a few years younger than Mattie. I could be your brother, too."

"What do you want me to say? I panicked, so I made up a story, okay?"

"You're always panicking!" Eric exclaimed. "I don't understand, Uncle D. My whole life you've been panicked about one thing or another. I don't get it! Mattie never panicked. Mattie always knew what to do. Mattie-"

"Eric, no! Mattie never knew what the hell he was doing, you got that? I know you think he was perfect, because he was your best friend, okay, but he didn't know everything. Trust me, just _trust me_ on this. Mattie panicked. Mattie panicked all the time. I mean, c'mon, Eric, if Mattie knew exactly what he was doing he'd be alive right now, okay?" Danny felt a lump in his throat.

"He didn't panic because you were supposed to save him." Eric responded.

That did it. Danny felt the tears in his eyes. He looked away from Eric. He began to shrug, his mouth opening to respond, but the words didn't come out.

The door, which had remained ajar, titled further open. Steve was suddenly at the door. His face was grim. He glared at Eric. Eric got the message, of course, but he had built himself up in his anger that he didn't waver under the commander's trained gaze.

"Eric," Steve stared at his best friend's nephew. "Did you ever think that Uncle Mattie could make a mistake or two? Or that Danny could, for that matter? Have you gotten to the point of your life that you realize people screw up?" He didn't wait for a response. "Either way, I don't care. Why don't you get some work done, okay? Cool down."

A semblance of the old, innocent Eric seemed to return for a moment. He glanced at his uncle, his eyes softening slightly. He grimaced. But his eyes darkened once more while he looked at Danny, who was looking down. Eric sucked in his breath and nodded, leaving Steve's office and heading downstairs.

"Uh," Danny cleared his throat, his hands on his hips. He refused to acknowledge the tears threatening to slip down his face. "Uh-"

"We should go." Steve said. "Let's go to my place. Before your assassins get here." He tried to laugh at this. It wasn't funny. Danny tried to laugh, too. It still wasn't funny.

"No, uh, I think I'll stay."

"You'll stay." Steve repeated numbly.

"Yeah, you know. I'd like to meet who's stupid enough to try and kill a detective at his own headquarters." He looked up, finally. "You should go."

"No." Steve said stubbornly. "No way. Why would I?"

"Abby and I will be fine." Danny said. "Seriously, go talk to Joel."

Steve frowned. "Okay." He said. "C'mere, though."

"What, you getting sentimental?" Danny laughed, but accepted Steve's hug anyway.

"He's just a kid." Steve said before patting Danny on the back and pulling away.

"Oh, he's not. He's assured me of this." Danny retorted. He finally wiped his eyes. "Get out of here, would ya?"

"Yeah, I'm leaving. I'm leaving." Steve grabbed his car keys. "I'll see you in a bit."


	13. Brothers

**Take Two: Chapter Thirteen**

* * *

 **A/n: Thank you for the reviews! What did you all think of the latest H 5-0 episode?**

* * *

Hilariously, to Chin and Kono, Eric had been right about the assassins. They watched as the cops with them apprehended two gun-clad, masked men, who had attempted to sneak into the building.

"Think these are young recruits in the cartel trying to prove themselves?" Kono muttered to Chin as they watched the police handcuff the two masked men.

"Makes sense." Chin nodded, his arms crossed against his chest. "But they didn't really think their plan through."

"No." Kono had to laugh. "Chin, this is just ridiculous.

Chin nodded again, but did not laugh. He was troubled. This all seemed too easy to him.

"Look, they're being unmasked." Kono said, and Chin craned his neck to see who exactly was trying to break into police headquarters.

* * *

Steve and Lou found Joel at the hotel where his family was being protected. He had been sleeping, mostly, trying to forget the hellish he had had on Hawaii thus far. Joel's wife and child had been left completely in the dark the entire time. Needless to say, Joel's wife had no problem with waking him up when Steve and Lou arrived.

"Can't you all leave me alone?" Joel complained, throwing on a t-shirt and sitting up in the bed. "I've done my time. I'm done with you. Just let me be."

"Can't do that, big guy." Steve shrugged helplessly. "You apparently knew about the assassins being sent to kill Detective Williams, and the one person you decided to tell was his nephew?" Steve said. He and Lou stood at the foot of the bed. Joel sat up defiantly.

"Yeah, so what? I didn't send anyone to kill anybody. I just told the kid because he was desperate. I've done my job with 5-0."

"Oh, and what was that, exactly?" Lou asked.

Joel threw up his hands, searching for words. "I got you all out of headquarters, they took the information they needed, and then they left me alone. I'm the one who messed up. I'm the one who got arrested."

"So now what, you're just going home?" Steve said. "Do you even have a home?"

"In Colombia." Joel said after a moment. "Really. My wife is from there. We stay with her parents. They're good to our son."

"Oh, so you do think of your family." Lou grumbled. "If they live in Colombia, why are they here with you? They like to watch you do your dirty work?"

"No. It's not like that. I had to bring them. It was more believable that way. You know, my story."

"The one where you have a brother who was kidnapped."

"Just like Detective Williams had a family, here's my family."

"And then what? So the cartel called you up and said they would be sending some guys over to kill Danny, and then what?"

"Not the cartel as a whole, no." Joel shook his head. "I did my job with them. This was just one guy."

"Who?"

Joel scoffed. "What do you mean who? Who do you think?" He looked at their faces. They really didn't have a clue. Joel laughed. "Ricardo Reyes, that's who. Marco Reyes's older brother."

* * *

Abby stared out the window, from her position in 5-0 headquarters. Two men were on their knees. Their masks were taken off of their heads and thrown to the ground. Abby watched as Chin and Kono exchanged glances, although she couldn't decipher the look between the two cousins.

She turned around and glanced at Danny. He had nervously been walking around for the better part of the morning before he had taken to cleaning his sacked office. Abby noticed he was once again staring at the cracked frame of his children. His eyebrows were furrowed. Then, he pulled out his cellphone and dialed a number he knew by heart. Abby walked towards his office. Danny had his back to her now.

"Yeah, Rach?" Abby heard Danny say. "Huh? No. I'm okay. Listen, are Grace and Charlie with you? No, everything's fine. I'm just checking, you know. I'm just worried. Nothing. Forget it. Yeah. Really? Uh, I'm not sure." Danny was smiling. He noticed Abby looking at him, and he looked down, clearing his throat. "Listen, I'll call you back. I'm getting another call. Okay. All right. Yeah. Bye." Danny glanced briefly at Abby before he answered the call.

"Chin."

"Danny." Chin said. "I think we've been played."

Danny frowned and put the phone on speaker. He walked out of his office and over to Abby. "What are you talking about, Chin?"

"The assassins here, they're Hawaiian. Definitely not part of the Colombian cartel. They admitted to being paid to do this. Danny, we were set up, and I'm not sure what else is in store."

Abby glanced at Danny. Danny was frowning. He sighed before nodding. "Okay, thanks Chin."

"Danny-"

Danny hung up. He looked at Abby.

"What are you going to do?" Abby asked.

Danny shook his head. He was confused. He put his phone back in his pocket and went back to his office. "Get out of here, huh." He muttered. He looked at Abby. "I think we should go."

"Agreed." Abby nodded. Danny took the photo of his children out of the broken frame and tossed the frame into the nearest trash can.

"Let's go."

He walked only a few steps towards Abby before the explosion occurred.

* * *

Steve and Lou finally got Joel out of bed. He led them to the small kitchenette, where he served them tea. His wife wordlessly left with their son to go to the hotel pool. She was furious with him.

"Ricardo Reyes." Steve muttered wordlessly, not touching his tea. "Marco had an older brother."

"He had twin sons, is what Marco Reyes had." Joel retorted. "I knew them. They were devastated when Marco was murdered. Ricardo has been caring for them ever since, but it's difficult to make ends meet." Joel shrugged. "Ricardo was never involved in the cartel. He wasn't as wealthy as Marco. All of Marco's money is inaccessible until the boys turn eighteen."

"So Ricardo isn't in the cartel, but he hired some guys to take out Danny anyway?"

"It's not so difficult, you know. People do it all the time in America. Haven't you ever seen _Leon: The Professional_?"

" _Anyway."_ Lou grumbled. "What you're saying is that Ricardo found out, and he wants revenge."

"Everyone in the cartel knows about the Williams brothers. Matthew was the laughingstock of Marco's crew for a while, mostly because of all his stupid mistakes. Your detective was a surprise. They didn't expect Mattie's brother to be so…I don't know, competent?"

"So Ricardo first sent you," Steve cut in, "and when you screwed up he sent some real assassins?"

"I was never meant to kill Detective Williams." Joel interrupted. "Don't put that on me."

"Okay, fine. But answer my question."

"No."

"No, he didn't send assassins?" Lou repeated. "Then who the hell are we expecting? Girl Scouts?"

"No, the assassins already stopped by headquarters."

"What, for an afternoon chat?" Lou threw his hands up. "What are you trying to say?"

"I don't…Listen, I don't think you should be looking for a hitman with a gun, okay? Ricardo doesn't work that way."

"Meaning?"

"Well, I don't know. He's a chemist. If I had to guess, he'd send one of his homemade bombs or something."

"Boy, I'm going to really punch your face in in about two minutes. What do you mean homemade bomb? Why didn't you tell us that before?"

Steve whipped out his phone to call Danny, but before he could, Danny called him. Steve answered immediately, standing up quickly. "Danny. Listen, you should leave-"

"Steven, shut up." Danny's voice was raspy. "Abby's hurt."

* * *

Chin and Kono ran into the building. The explosion was small enough that only their floor seemed damaged, but smoke trailed through the entire building. Chin covered his nose and mouth with his arm as he ran up the stairs. Kono yelled Danny and Abby's names. When they finally reached the door to HQ, they couldn't get in. The door was locked.

Eric Russo had beat them to the door. Kono and Chin hadn't realized anyone else was ahead of them, but there he was, pounding his fists on the locked door. "Uncle Danny. Uncle Danny. Uncle Danny!" He screamed. "Hey! Open up!"

"Hey!" Chin pulled Eric away from the door.

"Let go of me!" Eric yelled. "Fuck!"

"Eric!" Chin snapped. "Step back!"

"No, don't you see? Danny's in there!"

"Eric, okay. Okay." Chin took in a deep breath as Kono tried the door. It was locked. "Call Steve, Eric. Now."

Eric nodded dumbly. His breathing was heavy. He pulled his phone out of his pocket with shaking fingers and dialed Steve's number. After a moment, however, Eric shook his head. "Dammit. Busy signal. Lieutenant Kelly, what-"

"First, we're going to see if we can break down this door." Chin said.

"With what?" Eric retorted.

"Chin, this is headquarters. You can't just break the door open." Kono said, but Chin was already gearing up. He attempted to break the door down with his shoulder. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Chin knew this was impossible, but he pressed forward anyway.

No luck. Chin reeled with a curse, rubbing his shoulder. "Abby!" he yelled. "Danny!"

* * *

Danny was barely conscious. The explosion had knocked him against the glass wall of his office. He had hit the glass with his head, hard, before falling to the ground. Somehow, he remained awake. The smoke blinded him for a moment, but when he could see again, the first thing he saw was Abby, sprawled by Steve's office. She had a cut on her forehead, and was unconscious. Danny attempted to go to her, but his vision was hazy and his head swam. There was horrible pain in his chest. It hurt to breathe.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Steve. It was involuntary. He didn't even think about it.

"Danny." Steve seemed to be expecting the call. He answered immediately. "Listen, you should leave-"

"Steven." It hurt to breathe, Danny didn't want to waste his breath. "Shut up. Abby's hurt."

"What do you mean?"

Danny closed his eyes and took in a raspy breath. "There was an explosion. Steve, there was an explo-"

That was when Danny was pushed back down. Someone was suddenly on top of him. Danny's phone slipped out of his hand as Danny struggled against the weight of this stranger. The man punched Danny in the chest, right where the pain was. All the breath left Danny's body, and he couldn't even cry out as he doubled over in pain. Before he could react, the man was dragging Danny across the room. As he was pulled across the floor of broken glass, the shards tearing through his shirt and cutting him, Danny glanced fleetingly at Abby. She was still unconscious.

The man picked Danny up and threw him on the computer table. He was wearing a mask to protect himself from the smoke. He stared at Danny, while Danny clutched his ribcage and groaned. He definitely had a few broken ribs.

"My name is Ricardo Reyes, Detective Williams. You killed my brother."


	14. The Call Disconnected

**Take Two: Chapter Fourteen**

* * *

 **A/n: Here's a short update.**

* * *

Chin, Kono, and Eric had all tried to break down the door. No one was successful. Eric called Steve again, but got another busy tone. They couldn't reach Lou either.

Kono pounded on the door again. "Danny! Abby!"

"Why the hell don't you guys answer your phones when we actually need you?" Eric yelled at no one in particular. "Huh? What's up with that?"

Chin chose to ignore this comment, and instead tried to break the door down again with his shoulder.

* * *

By the time Abby regained consciousness, the smoke had filled the room completely. It took her a moment to see, but it was the yelling that had pulled her back into consciousness.

Next to her was a discarded phone. It was on, and Abby could see Steve's face on the screen. The picture of Steve was from four or five years ago. A young Grace was in his lap, and they both had on football jerseys. Steve had his arms around Grace's waist and was smiling cheekily. The voice on the phone, however, was anything but happy.

"Danny! Danny! C'mon. What's happening? Answer me. Danno? Lou. We need to go. Danny, don't hang up, okay? We're coming. Is Abby okay? Danny."

Abby blinked, going to the messages app. She couldn't focus with Steve's consistently loud yelling. There were other noises, too, but they were far away, and Abby couldn't decipher them.

She found Steve's name. Her vision blurred again, but she focused on the screen. The last message between Steve and Danny had just been a series of GIFs. Steve had gotten the last word with a He-Man GIF before Danny simply replied _dork_. Abby blinked again, almost laughing in her shock. What had she expected?

 _Steve_ , she typed slowly. _Help._

The noises distracted her again. Someone was calling her name from far away. She looked up, squinting through the smoke.

"Let's talk about this, huh?" a voice arose from the smoke, as did a tall figure, bending over the table. Danny was laying down. How did he get up there? The man, the strange man, had his back to Danny.

In response to Danny's question, the man punched Danny across the face. Danny yelled in protest.

"Danny! Danny!" Steve heard the cry. His voice was loud over the phone. Abby shied away from it, crawling away. The far-away voice calling her name was closer. Abby took the phone with her and began to crawl towards the noise.

"Abby," the voice called. "Abby, are you okay?"

Abby crawled towards the noise.

"You killed my brother." Came the other voice.

"I don't care." Danny's voice was angry. "Your brother killed my brother. If you kill me, someone's going to kill you. Then what, huh? Then what-" Danny stopped, groaning. The man had hit Danny in the chest again.

"Danny? We're almost there, Danny. How's Abby?" Steve was still speaking.

"Abby?" the voice was closer than ever before. Abby pulled herself up and looked at the door in front of her. She reached towards the handle. It was hot, but she persevered. She had to reach the voice.

"What do you want me to say, huh?" Danny suddenly yelled. His voice was too loud. Abby cringed. Her hand fell.

"I want you to die!"

"Abby?" the voice called once more. "Is that you?"

"Danny! Danny! Fight him, Danny!"

Abby turned the handle. The door opened stiffly. In a millisecond, Eric ran into the room and towards the strange man. Danny yelled at Eric to go away, terrified. The man pushed Danny onto the ground of broken glass once more, just as Eric tackled the man.

Chin and Kono came in not long after. Kono ran to assist in the fight. Chin nearly ran into Abby at the door, and instantly knelt down and helped her sit up. It was no use. She was unconscious again, phone in hand. She had sent another text message to Steve. _Danny. Trouble._

Chin picked up the phone. He put it to his ear and said Steve's name, but the call had disconnected, because Steve was bounding up the stairs, Lou at his heels. They ran into headquarters just as a gun fired, Danny cried out, and Kono screamed.


	15. 3:30 am

**Take Two: Chapter Fifteen**

* * *

When Danny woke up, it was the next day. He was in the hospital. This took him a while to decipher. He had on an oxygen mask. Moreover, a nurse was changing the bandages around his chest. The pain had forced him out of sleep.

"Good morning, sir." The nurse whispered. "Are you in any pain?'

He nodded.

"Out of ten?"

"Ten." Danny admitted. He clenched his teeth.

"I'm sorry to hear that." The nurse said. He finished bandaging Danny's chest. "Then he turned up the dial on Danny's morphine. "Would you like some water?"

Danny didn't hear this question. He was looking at the bed around him. Rachel was asleep in the corner of the room. Grace was next to her, also asleep.

"Sir?"

"Um, yes. Please." Danny tried to swallow, but his throat was dry. He stared at his girls once more. The nurse nodded and left the room.

Danny craned his neck to check the clock on the nightstand. It was three in the morning. What were they still doing here? They should be asleep in their own rooms, at their home.

As if to answer his question, Danny was surprised when Stan himself walked into the room. Danny was so surprised he didn't know if he should pretend to sleep or not. Stan was holding a sleeping Charlie. He walked into the room, without looking at Danny, and woke Rachel up. Then, Danny really pretended to sleep.

"Let's go." Stan said. "The nurse said there's not much we can do right now."

Rachel nodded. She was tired, and she knew Stan was unhappy. She woke up Grace, who was too tired to protest. Grace kissed her father on the forehead before the family left. His family.

Stan was always a better father, anyway.

Before Danny could think any further, the nurse returned with a much-needed glass of water. Danny opened his eyes and accepted the water, cringing as he moved.

"Your partner just arrived, sir." The nurse said.

"Hm?"

"Commander McGarrett. He just arrived, sir. I told him to let you rest."

"No." Danny shook his head, swallowing the cold water. "No, it's okay, let him in."

"Of course, sir." The nurse nodded. He left the room.

Steve was so happy to see Danny he almost forgot about the broken ribs. Before he could pat Danny on the shoulder, however, Danny interjected.

"I'm fragile, Steven."

"Back to your old self in no time." Steve smiled, pulling up a chair. "I can't tell you how good it is to see your frowning face."

"Thanks, babe." Danny smiled back. "Likewise."

Steve's smile faded. He checked his phone before putting it in his pocket. "You okay, man?"

"I don't know. What's wrong?"

"With you?'

"With me."

"Two broken ribs. Cuts and bruises all over your chest. Smoke in your lungs. Done with the water?" When Danny nodded, Steve took the cup from his hands. "Put this back on." He put the oxygen mask crudely back on his partner. Danny rolled his eyes and readjusted the mask.

"What happened?" Danny asked, his breath fogging up the mask. "I'm freaking out a little."

Steve started to respond, but shrugged and put his head in his hands. "What's the last thing you remember, Danny?"

"You."

"Cute."

"Your voice." Danny persisted. "I kept hearing your voice, yelling my name. But I'm not sure why, or what-" Danny stopped. His eyes shut quickly. The pain was slowly fading, but that didn't stop the slew of memories.

"Danny-"

"Eric."

Steve looked down. "Danny, I should have stayed with you. I shouldn't have gone to see Joel with Lou. It was stupid, to split up like that."

"Steve-"

"Eric's okay. Eric's okay. He's, uh, he's in custody, but he's okay."

"Steve." Danny was beginning to panic.

"He shot Ricardo, Danny."

"No. No." Danny shook his head. "That doesn't make sense."

The nurse popped his head in before Steve could respond. Danny's pulse had risen exponentially. "All right, out." He said to Steve. "He doesn't need this stress right now."

"No-" Danny and Steve both protested. The nurse was also persistent.

"My patient needs to rest. He's only been able to sleep when his pain medication is working."

Steve glanced at Danny. He hadn't know this.

"This is police business." Danny didn't miss a beat. "Please."

The nurse pursed his lips. "Fine. Five more minutes."

"Ten minutes. Thank you." Steve nodded. The nurse left the room, shaking his head.

"Steve, what the hell is going on?"

"Okay," Steve leaned forward slightly on Danny's hospital bed. "You remember there were some assassins sent to kill you from the cartel?"

"Uh-huh."

"It was a set up. There were no assassins. Remember your office was trashed, though? Your file was stolen."

"Uh-huh."

"Someone planted a bomb in your office."

Danny grabbed Steve's wrist suddenly. "Abby." He said. His eyes were wide. "Steve-"

"She's in the room next to you. She's going to be okay. She has a concussion."

Danny closed his eyes.

"She saved your life. Ricardo had locked the doors, and Abby was able to open it and let us in before she passed out."

"Ricardo?" Danny shook his head. "Who's Ricardo?"

"Marco Reyes's older brother. He's the one who's been behind it all, Danny. He was going to kill you."

"But-"

"But." Steve ran a tired hand along his face. "Eric shot him."

Danny was silent. He didn't know what to say. "Eric doesn't own a gun, Steven."

"He took Kono's gun." Steve could see Danny was still confused. "Kono and Eric tried to get Ricardo off of you. He was…he was strangling you, Danny."

"What?" Danny whispered. He had no recollection of his at all. He could see, however, that Steve clearly remembered. His eyes were ablaze with fury. "No, no-"

"Kono dropped her gun while pulling him off of you. Eric picked it up."

Danny stared at Steve. He shook his head. "Is he-?"

"Ricardo's in surgery. We still don't know if he's going to make it. But, Danny, we had policemen downstairs, they heard the explosion, and they saw Eric shoot him. They had to arrest him."

Danny put his head in his hands. "What time is it?" he muttered into his palms.

"3:30 in the morning."

"Eric's in jail?"

"Yes."

Danny sucked in his breath. He popped his neck. Then, he began to take out the needles in his arm. He pushed his covers back and got out of the bed.

"Whoa, Danny!" Steve held up his partner as Danny clutched his side, eyes squeezed shut. "Danny, get back in bed."

"Are you going to help me, or not, huh? Go distract the nurses. Say something cute. Try to make a joke. I don't care." Danny struggled to stand back up. He slowly made his way to the bathroom. He wanted to see what he looked like. When he flipped on the light and took a look at himself, he was surprised. He wasn't wearing a shirt, since the nurse had been taping his chest. Danny could see bruising emerging from under the tape. Moreover, his chest was covered in cuts. He turned around and looked at his back. He had stitches in places where the shards of glass had cut deep. Danny looked at his neck. Purple bruises. Danny still didn't remember being strangled. This thought terrified him.

When Danny went back into the room, Steve handed him a sweatshirt. New York Mets. Rachel had brought it over when she brought Grace to see her father. Danny gratefully put on the sweatshirt. He kept on the hospital sweatpants.

"Coast is clear. We'll take my truck." Steve said. Without further ado, the two snuck out of the hospital.

* * *

Kono had nearly fallen asleep standing up, but her phone chimed suddenly. She was in Ricardo's room, waiting for the man to return from surgery. The surgery was long. Eric, a terrible shot, had managed to shoot Ricardo in the collar bone.

Kono looked at her phone. A message from Steve. _Cover us._

Kono looked up. Oh no. _What's going on?_ She quickly typed back.

 _Danny and I are going to jail. He wants to see Eric._

Kono didn't respond. Instead, she called Chin.

* * *

Abby was still unconscious. The doctor had assured Chin she would be okay, but Chin was still worried. Lou sat next to Chin. He was asleep, as well. When Chin's phone rang, Lou jolted.

"What in hell?" Lou grumbled as Chin laughed an apology.

"It's Kono." He said. "It could be about Ricardo." He put the phone to his ear. "Kono."

"Chin, Steve and Danny escaped."

"Escaped?"

"You know what I mean. They left the hospital."

"To go where?" Lou asked.

"They went to see Eric."

Chin glanced at Lou. He didn't want to leave Abby, but someone should go after them. Lou took the hint.

"I'm on my way." Lou said, standing and stretching.

"Lou's on his way." Chin informed Kono as Lou left the room.

"Okay good. How's Abby?"

"Still asleep." Chin said.

"Hang in there cuz, she'll be fine."

"She saved Danny's life, you know." Chin said quietly.

Kono didn't answer, for at the moment, Ricardo was being wheeled into the rom. Kono watched the man's chest rise and fall evenly.

"Kono?" Chin said.

"He's alive, Chin." Kono said.


	16. Public Nudity

**Take Two: Chapter Sixteen**

* * *

Eric stared up at the cement ceiling. He was laying on the hard cot. He had no idea what to do. He felt like throwing up, like crying. But he didn't do anything. In the cell next to him were the kids hired to pretend to be assassins, and Eric didn't want them to hear him.

He had been alone since he was arrested. Eric remembered the world going black after he pulled the trigger. He didn't really remember anything except his uncle struggling to breathe, and Kono crying out when Ricardo hit her. And he remembered Steve's face, when Steve saw Ricardo bleeding on the ground next to a coughing Danny. Danny hadn't noticed Eric. At least, it didn't seem like it. The police had, however. As Steve knelt beside his partner, he looked up only once to watch the police handcuffing Eric. His face was stony.

Eric desperately wanted to talk to someone. He was an outgoing guy. He hated the silence. So did his uncle, to some extent, but Danny was far better at hiding this. Sometimes, at home, nothing pleased Danny more than to sit with a beer and stare out the window. Eric didn't function like this. He always needed to be speaking with someone. What he _wanted_ was to call his uncle, with his one call. But he was in the hospital. His other uncle was dead. He couldn't call his mother, because she would ask too many questions. And she would worry. In the end, he ended up calling Rachel. He told her Danny was in the hospital. She asked why he was calling from jail. He didn't say anything. He just repeated that Danny was in the hospital, and that she should tell the kiddos hello from Cousin Eric. Then he hung up.

Now he was alone. He hoped he hadn't wasted that one phone call.

Presently, a policeman came up to Eric's cell and said he had two visitors. Eric stood up, went to the bars of the cell, and peeked out.

The morphine, which had not had enough time to really do its magic, wore off before Steve and Danny reached the jail. So, when Eric saw his uncle trudging towards him, he looked pretty shitty. Steve kept trying to put his arm around Danny, but Danny kept shrugging him off. Eric had to smile.

"Unlock it, would ya?" Danny muttered at the policeman. The policeman nodded, unlocking the door. Eric stepped back as Steve and Danny stepped in.

For a moment, the three looked at each other in silence, before Eric cleared his throat.

"Wanna sit down, Uncle D?"

"Yeah." Danny nodded, instantly going towards the bed. He was only somewhat relieved when he sat, exhaling slowly so as not to hurt his ribs. It didn't work.

"How are you?" Steve asked Eric. Eric was looking at his uncle, and didn't answer. Danny's neck was purple. It looked horrible. His face was screwed up in pain. "E," Steve said again.

"Uh, you know. They…" he tried to come up with a joke, but he couldn't think of anything. He couldn't look past his uncle. "You know." He finished lifelessly. "Hey, Uncle D, I'm glad you're out and about." Eric said. "Did the hospital kick get rid of you already?"

"Something like that." Danny muttered.

Steve's phone buzzed. He glanced at Kono's text. _Ricardo is alive. He's going to be okay. Get Eric out._

"Eric, you should know that the police want to charge you with manslaughter."

Eric and Danny made the same noise of disbelief. Both Williamses shook their heads. Steve almost laughed at the similarities.

"So he's dead then, huh?" Eric asked.

"No. No, Ricardo is alive." Steve said. "I'm going to do everything in my power to get you out, okay?"

"Sooner rather than later, right, Steven?" Danny said from his spot on the cot.

"Right." Steve said. "Give me a second." Steve nodded at Danny before leaving the cell. He caught up with guard and the two began to climb the stairs to the main offices.

Eric watched Steve go before turning back to his uncle. Danny thought no one was looking, and he was clutching his side again.

"Uncle D?"

"You actually shot someone, E?" Danny looked up. "I mean, you really shot him, huh?"

Eric shrugged. "He was killing you."

Danny cringed. He thought about his purple neck that he had caught in the mirror.

"I mean, what was I supposed to, Uncle D?" Eric continued. "You would have shot him."

"Yeah, but I've got a badge, bud."

"Uncle D, c'mon. Eric shook his head. "Just, I don't know, just appreciate the sentiment."

"Thank you."

"Yeah." Eric huffed.

"No, thank you." Danny clarified. "Really. Eric. Thank you. And, uh, you know, I'm sorry. For lying about everything, you know, and pretending you're too young to know some things."

"Man, this case really messed you up, huh? I don't think you've ever apologized to me before."

"Yeah? That's because I've always been right before."

"Uncle D, I, uh, want you to know I didn't mean what I said. You know about you and Mattie. I've, uh, had some time to think about it, you know, in jail and all. I was angry. I didn't mean what I said. Sorry, bro."

Danny nodded more to himself than Eric. "I know why you said what you said. I was supposed to save him. If I had, who knows, maybe you wouldn't be in jail."

"'Who knows?' You think this was bound to happen?"

"I always thought I'd find you in here for, I don't know, public nudity or something."

"That would have been wicked." Eric grinned. "My first time in Hawaii."

"Oof, I wish you hadn't have given me that visual, Eric."

"You brought it up!" Eric laughed.

Danny smiled. He rubbed the back of his neck. When he looked up, Eric was looking at Danny's bruised neck again.

"Eric, did you use your phone call to call Rachel?" Danny asked suddenly.

Eric flushed. "Well, yeah. I mean, who else?"

"How about a lawyer, huh? Anyone else!"

"Uncle D, I think you underestimate Aunt Rach. I mean, did she not bring you those clothes?"

"So?"

" _So_? C'mon, Uncle D. I'm just saying."

"I think you're just in denial. Rachel and I have been divorced for a long time, now, you know."

"Uncle D, _I'm_ not the one in denial."

Steve poked his head in the cell. "You ladies done chitchatting? Strings have been pulled."


	17. Epilogue: A Little Relaxation

**Take Two: Epilogue**

* * *

 **A/n: As you can probably tell, I've been meaning to post these updates for a while. Here's the epilogue. Please let me know what you thought of the story! I have so appreciated all of the kind reviews.**

 **I have been thinking of writing a sequel (in a further attempt to fix season six). If this is something you would be interested in reading, please let me know!**

* * *

Two weeks later. Sunday evening. Danny was hosting a BBQ at his place. ESPN was on the television. The whole team was over. Lou brought his wife and kids. Grace and Charlie were over. Steve's sister, Mary, who was in town, was over with Joanie as well. Danny's small place couldn't really accommodate everyone, but everyone was enjoying themselves. Kono was fresh off a visit with Adam, and was over the moon.

Abby was better as well. She still was cautious about driving, so Chin happily took her Danny's place. The two were sitting on the couch with Kono, drinking beer and listening to Samantha and Grace explain one of their harrowing adventures. Lou and his son watched the game, transfixed. Renee helped herself to another beer before joining her husband and son.

Mary sat at the kitchen table, beer in hand. "So, tell me what happened after the explosion, again?" she asked the men across from her. Steve, holding Joanie, and Danny, holding Charlie, glanced at each other.

"The police let Eric go, on account of service to 5-0, and because Ricardo woke up." Steve said, taking some chips from the bowl in front of them and eating.

"That's the way you spun it." Mary retorted.

"That's the way I spun it." Steve chewed his chips victoriously.

"Ricardo admitted to everything." Danny jumped in.

"So this was all a ploy just to get back at Danny?" Mary asked. "Seems so elaborate."

"Yeah, well, that was the point." Steve shrugged. Joanie reached for her mother, and Steve handed his niece to his sister.

"And the flashdrive and files, those were returned?"

"Ah, no, those were destroyed in the explosion. Turns out Ricardo had those on his person when he came to kill me. Not so smart, this guy." Danny explained.

"No, not at all." Mary laughed. "Is he in prison?"

"Ah, he will be." Danny said. "Thank God."

"And now, Danny's making it up to all of us by hosting this lovely party." Steve said cheekily.

"I'm hoping they'll have enough beer that they'll forget the whole thing."

"What I want to know is how bad your office is." Mary said, dipping some chips in salsa with her free hand.

"It's not so bad." Danny shrugged.

"No. He used a small, homemade bomb. It was meant to disorient, not destroy. But don't worry, Danny's fixing that, too."

"Oh, I am?" Danny laughed. "This I did not know."

"Yes you are." Steve said. "Commander's orders."

Abby walked into the kitchen, searching for another beer. She caught Danny's eye and smiled at him before opening the refrigerator. Danny handed Charlie off to Steve before heading after Abby.

"Hi." He said to her, holding the refrigerator door open for her.

"Great party, Danny."

"Oh, it's nothing." Danny shrugged. "Listen, I never got a chance to thank you. I was told you saved my life."

"Oh." Abby stood up. "I wouldn't put it that way."

"I would." Danny said. "Thank you."

"Of course." Abby nodded. "I'm sorry this man was after you in the first place."

"Well, it's over now, huh?" Danny said. "Your head better?"

"Yes, thank you. How are your ribs?"

"Fine." Danny lied. "Getting better."

"And your neck. It's looking much…well," Abby didn't know if she should mention that or not. The bruising was still there. She realized Danny was probably lying about his ribs as well. He had walked very slowly over to her. "I'm glad you're better."

"Enjoy the party." Danny said. "You deserve it."

The doorbell rang. Danny went to answer it. Eric was at the door, smiling cheekily.

"Uncle D!"

"Eric, you don't have to wait for me to let you in. You live here."

"Yeah, but look who I found on my way in!" Eric stepped back, revealing Rachel. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm _just_ here to give you this." She handed Danny two small bottles. Charlie's medicine. "I forgot to give them to you before."

"Ah, yes. These are important." Danny said.

"That's what I said." Eric nodded knowingly. Danny and Rachel looked at Eric until he got the message. Eric grinned at Rachel, then pulled his uncle in to a hug. He gave Danny a loud kiss on the cheek.

"What a time to be alive, huh?"

"All right, get in there, would ya?" Danny said, pushing Eric into his home. He could hear Eric greeting everyone loudly. The kids greeted him back with the same volume, even Charlie, who was used to his silly cousin by now.

"I'm glad to see you're better, Danny." Rachel said. "You seem happy."

"Yeah." Danny said. "I, uh, I guess I finally feel like I can put everything with the cartel behind me."

"I'm so glad."

"Listen, Rach, why don't you come in?" Danny said after a moment's hesitation. "I'm sure the kids would like to see you."

Rachel was shaking her head. "No, no, I don't think so. I'm supposed to…I have something to do tonight."

"Okay, that's a lie, but if you really don't want to come, just say so."

"I'm not sure it would be a good idea, is all."

"Renee needs some company, huh? Mary always talks about wanting to meet you."

Rachel smiled slightly. "You're not letting this go, are you?"

"Not a chance. I'm tired of, you know, I'm tired of being so angry."

"You're supposed to be angry, Daniel. What I did was terrible."

Danny looked away. "Rach, you would have done it again if you could."

Rachel nodded. "Yes."

"This case only proved what you thought."

"Yes."

"So, while I'm still furious about missing so much time with my son, I can concede you were…right. You were right, huh? Maybe that makes me angry, but I can see why you did it. Steve can too. If you can get past his thick skull, I don't know. Maybe something really was wrong. I don't know. This is a roundabout way for me to ask you in to my house. So come in, huh? Just for a bit. I don't have any tea, but I do have beer."

"I bet you do have tea." Rachel countered with a smirk.

"Would you come in?" Danny was smiling, too.

"All right." Rachel said. "For a little."

"For a little." Danny repeated in her British accent. "Get the hell in here, would ya?"

"I'm going." Rachel said, and she entered Danny's home. Danny closed the door after her, and watched as Charlie, in his partner's arms, called out gleefully to his mother, while Steve's eyebrows raised. Grace poked her head into the kitchen and said hello to her mother. She also glanced at her father, her eyebrows just as raised. Grace and Steve were giving him the same exact look. Danny shook his head at them with a grin. He shrugged. He watched Mary hug Rachel before glancing once more at Steve, and at the people around him. Maybe Danny would always prefer the East Coast, but he could never swap the family he had made here in Hawaii. His family would do anything for him, and he would do anything for them. That was the meaning of ohana, after all.


End file.
